slant

1 of 2

verb

slanted; slanting; slants

intransitive verb

1
: to take a diagonal course, direction, or path
2
: to turn or incline from a right line or a level : slope

transitive verb

1
: to give an oblique or sloping direction to
2
: to interpret or present in line with a special interest : angle
stories slanted toward youth
especially : to maliciously or dishonestly distort or falsify
slantingly adverb

slant

2 of 2

noun

1
: a slanting direction, line, or plane : slope
2
a
: something that slants
c
: a football running play in which the ballcarrier runs obliquely toward the line of scrimmage
3
a
: a peculiar or personal point of view, attitude, or opinion
b
: a slanting view : glance
slant adjective
slantways adverb
slantwise adverb or adjective
slanty adjective

Examples of slant in a Sentence

Verb The sunlight slanted down through the leaves and branches of the trees. She slanted her hat a little to the right. They deliberately slanted the story to make themselves look good. Noun The computer keyboard is positioned at a slant so that typing is more comfortable for the wrists. He sliced the carrots on a slant.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
For generations, its window frames had slanted sideways and its walls seemed to tilt at a near gravity-defying angle, delighting both patrons and passers-by. Megan Specia, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The trend line isn’t slanting upward as sharply as many had predicted so the industry is lowering future estimates. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 Green and his co-screenwriters stick to rise-to-fame, behind-the-scenes formulas (including Island Records founder Chris Blackwell sponsoring Marley’s recording career), here slanted into the social-justice pretense so popular in Hollywood now. Armond White, National Review, 16 Feb. 2024 The deep, flattened body draws to a blunt head, with a relatively small mouth slanting downward, but not reaching as far back as the eyes. David A. Brown, Field & Stream, 11 Jan. 2024 With trillions of dollars from the 2017 Trump tax cuts set to expire, taxes also represent an active policy fight with Republicans on Capitol Hill, and large majorities of voters believe that tax law was slanted toward the rich and wealthy. Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 20 Jan. 2024 Tight end Donald Parham was asked to head off off slanting end Jonathan Bullard. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2023 Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome: What to Know About the Rare and Fatal Genetic Disorder Signs and Symptoms The condition includes signs such as downward slanting eyelids, little presence of eyelashes, and absent or small ears. Amanda MacMillan, Health, 9 Aug. 2023 When the puppet crested the hill into the slanting winter sunshine, crowds of children ran toward it, dancing. Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 26 July 2023
Noun
During individual drills, Trader made a remarkable one-handed catch on a hard slant from Cam Ward. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The redshirt sophomore made two tacklers miss on the slant and waltzed into the with ease. Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2024 Consumer attitudes have been somewhat negative lately, but probing the details yields a more optimistic slant. Bill Conerly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 There’s also a hallucinatory sensibility at times, and at others a scientific slant. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 As might be expected, Dickinson put a more positive slant on Timberlake’s performance than their coach. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2024 Maybe the cold affected some early throws, but defenses also are on to this offense throwing wide-receiver screens and quick slants. Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2024 The other pick killed a drive late in the second quarter as Prescott looked to connect with CeeDee Lamb on a slant pattern. USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 The new hat silhouette of choice is an oversized saucer shape, worn at a rakish slant so her face is still in clear view for royal fans and photographers alike. Emma Spedding, Vogue, 22 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English slenten to fall obliquely, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect slenta to slope, Old Norse sletta to throw carelessly

First Known Use

Verb

1644, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slant was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near slant

Cite this Entry

“Slant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

slant

1 of 2 verb
1
: to turn or incline from a straight line or a level : slope
2
: to interpret or present according to a special viewpoint

slant

2 of 2 noun
1
: a slanting direction, line, or plane : slope
2
: something that slants
3
: a way of looking at something
get a new slant on the problem
slant adjective
slanty adjective

Medical Definition

slant

noun
: a culture medium solidified obliquely in a tube so as to increase the surface area
a blood-agar slant
compare stab sense 2a

More from Merriam-Webster on slant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!