: that slants : sloping
—often used in combination
slope-sided
sloped; sloping
1
: to take an oblique course
2
: to lie or fall in a slant : incline
: to cause to incline or slant
sloper
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
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
Pilar Guzmán, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2023
Below, Vogue tracks the most noteworthy openings, from restaurants, to stores, to post-slope hotspots.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2021
In an interview in September, Friedman said that installing a mid-slope retaining wall downhill from the Georges’ building would cost $5 million.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 8 Nov. 2021
Friedman said that the new geotechnical studies show that in order to save the building, the port would have to spend $5 million to install a mid-slope retaining wall.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2021
Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
The land slopes down from that house with a series of broad grassy terraces embellished by long stretches of stone and brick balustrade atop stone ramparts.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024
The 19-acre vineyard will gently slope upwards, evoking the rolling Tuscan hills in the distance.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2024
Additionally, the terrain around the lakes often slopes toward the water, which is ideal for drainage.
—Hilary Howard, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Brooklyn artist Jean Shin gets the first floor sloping gallery dedicated to artists who create site-specific installations.
—James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2024
Moving through to the living room, the house suddenly opens up with wall-to-wall glass and views from Diamond Head to the ships of Honolulu Harbor and the sloping Waianae Mountains.
—Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
But late Thursday morning, a pair of National Guard troops with rifles walked down the sloping hallway between the Fulton Street and World Trade Center subway stations in Lower Manhattan, past the gelato stand where Aileen Morales works.
—Ana Ley, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Claire Boobbyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Apr. 2024
Both the Case-Shiller and the FHFA Home Price Indexes are displaying steep negative slopes with the FHFA Index already in negative territory.
—Robert Barone, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The accuracy of these surveys can vary, as people tend to avoid areas that are unsafe to walk through, including steep slopes and where garbage is actively being dumped, according to the study.
—Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
But a closer look reveals gentle slopes interspersed with grassy patches, which would make skateboarding impractical.
—Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The vineyard is known for its 80-year-old vines, steep slopes, and deep slate soils.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
From ski slopes to art galleries, this quaint town offers something for every season.
—Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Mineral wealth was no secret on these mountain slopes.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The dream is to include an artificial ski slope, offer submarine rides and an amusement theme park, water park, performing arts complex along with shops and restaurants and three hotels.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
Adjective
In the Dolomites, the pleasures of post-slope relaxing are simply woven into the culture.
—Pilar Guzmán, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2023
Below, Vogue tracks the most noteworthy openings, from restaurants, to stores, to post-slope hotspots.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2021
In an interview in September, Friedman said that installing a mid-slope retaining wall downhill from the Georges’ building would cost $5 million.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 8 Nov. 2021
Friedman said that the new geotechnical studies show that in order to save the building, the port would have to spend $5 million to install a mid-slope retaining wall.
—Steven Litt, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2021
Verb
Orienting the addition toward the back of the hillside lot would take advantage of the scenery — the yard dramatically slopes downward to a small section of Piney Branch Stream.
—Michelle Brunner, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024
The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024
The land slopes down from that house with a series of broad grassy terraces embellished by long stretches of stone and brick balustrade atop stone ramparts.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024
The 19-acre vineyard will gently slope upwards, evoking the rolling Tuscan hills in the distance.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2024
Additionally, the terrain around the lakes often slopes toward the water, which is ideal for drainage.
—Hilary Howard, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2024
Brooklyn artist Jean Shin gets the first floor sloping gallery dedicated to artists who create site-specific installations.
—James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Jan. 2024
Moving through to the living room, the house suddenly opens up with wall-to-wall glass and views from Diamond Head to the ships of Honolulu Harbor and the sloping Waianae Mountains.
—Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
But late Thursday morning, a pair of National Guard troops with rifles walked down the sloping hallway between the Fulton Street and World Trade Center subway stations in Lower Manhattan, past the gelato stand where Aileen Morales works.
—Ana Ley, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
But for the full 360 bean-to-brew, ramble the lower slopes of Agua Volcano for an immersive introduction to Guatemalan coffee with the González family who tend 30,000 arabica coffee plants followed by a grinding class and tasting at their home.
—Claire Boobbyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Apr. 2024
Both the Case-Shiller and the FHFA Home Price Indexes are displaying steep negative slopes with the FHFA Index already in negative territory.
—Robert Barone, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
The accuracy of these surveys can vary, as people tend to avoid areas that are unsafe to walk through, including steep slopes and where garbage is actively being dumped, according to the study.
—Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
But a closer look reveals gentle slopes interspersed with grassy patches, which would make skateboarding impractical.
—Michael Wells, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The vineyard is known for its 80-year-old vines, steep slopes, and deep slate soils.
—Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
From ski slopes to art galleries, this quaint town offers something for every season.
—Kira Turnbull, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024
Mineral wealth was no secret on these mountain slopes.
—Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 22 Mar. 2024
The dream is to include an artificial ski slope, offer submarine rides and an amusement theme park, water park, performing arts complex along with shops and restaurants and three hotels.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slope.' 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
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of slope was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing slope
Dictionary Entries Near slope
Cite this Entry
“Slope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slope. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
slope
2 of 3 verb
sloped; sloping
: to take a slanting direction : give a slant to : incline
sloper
noun
slope
3 of 3 noun1
: 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
More from Merriam-Webster on slope
Nglish: Translation of slope for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of slope for Arabic Speakers
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