slope

1 of 3

adjective

: 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 nightWolcott 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
Verb
In the late 18th century, French artist Elizabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted a portrait of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, wearing a sloping straw hat and chemise dress — a typical undergarment for women at the time. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 29 July 2025 The latter gives a good perspective on just how big and sloping the green can be, and a great view of incoming balls flying through the air toward the pin. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 22 July 2025
Noun
Camelback Castle: Perched on the southwestern slopes of Camelback Mountain, Copenhaver Castle is modeled after Moorish and Spanish Castles. Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 5 Aug. 2025 The sunny slopes of the region bring crisp whites and exceptional red wines. Johanna Read, Forbes.com, 31 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for slope

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slope. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

slope

1 of 3 adjective
: 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

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