slope

1 of 3

adjective

ˈslōp 

: that slants : sloping

—often used in combination

slope-sided

slope

2 of 3

verb

sloped; sloping

intransitive verb

1

: to take an oblique course

2

: to lie or fall in a slant : incline

3

: go, travel

… slopes off into the night …

—Wolcott Gibbs

transitive verb

: to cause to incline or slant

sloper noun

slope

3 of 3

noun

1

: ground that forms a natural or artificial incline

2

: upward or downward slant or inclination or degree of slant

3

: the part of a continent draining to a particular ocean

Alaska's North Slope

4

a

: the tangent of the angle made by a straight line with the x-axis

b

: the slope of the line tangent to a plane curve at a point

Synonyms of slope

Verb

• tilt
• angle
• incline
• lean

Noun

• incline
• inclination
• gradient

Examples of slope in a Sentence

Verb

His handwriting slopes to the left.

they sloped our new driveway too steeply and now my car scrapes bottom whenever I back out onto the street

Noun

They climbed the steep slope.

What is the angle of the slope?

You can adjust the slope of the ramp.

a slope of 30 degrees

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Travelers can stay at Hotel Catedral Patagonia, which has a spa for post-slope relaxation. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2026

Arguably, the two best features for powderhounds are the gear storage area, complete with a boot dryer and a waxing and tuning station, and the hot tub because no mountain retreat is complete without a post-slope soak. — Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 26 Jan. 2026

Verb

The resulting low-slung structure is clad in understated materials, with a sloping bronze-colored roof, stone chimney, expansive glazing, and teak siding. — David Foxley, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

The Weekly Pattern Turning to the weekly chart, RRC has been trading in an upward-sloping channel going back to late 2022. — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026

Noun

But monitoring thousands of glaciers, steep slopes and river valleys across the Himalayan arc is extremely difficult. — Sibi Arasu, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

The steep slopes and lush valleys below the Himalayan mountain range — home to many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers — are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides. — Shristi Kafle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sloop, probably from aslope, adverb, at an angle

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing slope

• bunny slope
• continental slope
• glide slope
• nursery slope
• slippery slope
• slope-intercept form
• slope off

Rhymes for slope

• cope
• dope
• grope
• lope
• mope
• nope
• rope
• scope
• shope
• soap
• stope
• swope

Kids Definition

slope

1 of 3 adjective

ˈslōp 

: that slants : sloping

slope

2 of 3 verb

sloped; sloping

: to take a slanting direction : give a slant to : incline

sloper noun

slope

3 of 3 noun

1

: ground that forms a natural or artificial incline

2

: upward or downward slant or degree of slant

3

: the ratio of the change in a vertical direction to the change in a horizontal direction between any two points on the graph of a straight line