slow

play

adjective \ ˈslō \

Definition of slow

1 a :mentally dull :stupid

a slow student

b :naturally inert or sluggish

2 a :lacking in readiness, promptness, or willingness

b :not hasty or precipitate

was slow to anger

3 a :moving, flowing, or proceeding without speed or at less than usual speed

traffic was slow

b :exhibiting or marked by low speed

he moved with slow deliberation

c :not acute

a slow disease

d :low, gentle

slow fire

4 :requiring a long time :gradual

a slow recovery

5 :having qualities that hinder rapid progress or action

a slow track

6 a :registering behind or below what is correct

the clock is slow

b :less than the time indicated by another method of reckoning

c :that is behind the time at a specified time or place

7 a :lacking in life, animation, or gaiety :boring

the first chapter is a bit slow

b :marked by reduced activity

business was slow

a slow news week

—

slowish

play \ˈslō-ish\ adjective

—

slowness

noun

See slow defined for English-language learners

See slow defined for kids

Examples of slow in a Sentence

The buyers were slow to act, and the house was sold to someone else.
He was a quiet boy who seldom spoke, and some people thought he was a little slow.
Business is slow during the summer.
The first few chapters are slow, but after that it gets better.

Recent Examples of slow from the Web

People were stranded in extreme heat and the federal response was slow.

— juan lozano, The Seattle Times, "Grim reality in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey: More dead," 30 Aug. 2017
Armed with quality flour and yeast, the city’s bakers are reviving old-world traditions by slow-fermenting, hand-rolling, and kettle-boiling their way to enlightenment.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "These 6 Bakers Are Saving L.A.’s Bagel Reputation," 30 Aug. 2017
The scale of the task is being exacerbated by the slow progress of negotiations, increasing the likelihood that a transitional customs arrangement won’t be hashed out before the U.K.’s expected departure from the bloc in 2019.

— sam chambers, Bloomberg.com, "Brexit Delays Endanger U.K.'s Fresh Food Supply, Retailers Warn," 29 Aug. 2017
Video of the incident, showing Richard Wilson Preston fire a gun in the direction of a Black man while police stood by, prompted outcry from counter-protesters that cops were slow to act in a situation that could have ended with a fatality.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "White Nationalist Who Fired Gun At Protesters While Police Stood By Finally Arrested," 28 Aug. 2017
Many deaths have been averted by moving shipping lanes away from key habitats and deploying systems that warn ships when the slow-moving animals are nearby.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Endangered right whales are dying in record numbers off Canada, raising alarm," 24 Aug. 2017
A slow but steady recovery after the economic downturn after 2008 unleashed pent-up demand from buyers who traded in older vehicles.

— rob nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Light truck sales exceed sales of cars in California," 23 Aug. 2017
But in the ways that matter most, in the navigation of a game and a series and a season, the baseball-is-slow thing is laughable.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Sal Perez comes back, Kelvin Herrera may be hurt, and the Royals cycle continues," 23 Aug. 2017
Farhad, speaking in slow and careful Serbian, thanked the country for helping his family.

— matthew brunwasser, New York Times, "In Serbian Refugee Center, a ‘Little Picasso’ Dreams of Art and Asylum," 19 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of slow

Middle English, from Old English slāw; akin to Old High German slēo dull

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

slow Synonyms

slow

adverb

Definition of slow

:slowly

See slow defined for English-language learners

slow vs. slowly

Some commentators claim that careful writers avoid the adverb slow, in spite of the fact that it has had over four centuries of usage.

- have a continent forbearance till the speed of his rage goes slower
- —William Shakespeare

In actual practice, slow and slowly are not used in quite the same way. Slow is almost always used with verbs that denote movement or action, and it regularly follows the verb it modifies.

- beans … are best cooked long and slow
- —Louise Prothro

Slowly is used before the verb

- a sense of outrage, which slowly changed to shame
- —Paul Horgan

and with participial adjectives.

- a slowly dawning awareness … of the problem
- —Amer. Labor

Slowly is used after verbs where slow might also be used

- burn slow or slowly

and after verbs where slow would be unidiomatic.

- the leadership turned slowly toward bombing as a means of striking back
- —David Halberstam

Examples of slow in a Sentence

My computer is working slow.
you need to go slow with this experiment, or you'll make mistakes

Recent Examples of slow from the Web

Miami fits me well,’’ the coach said in his calming, slow-paced style.

— susan miller degnan, miamiherald, "Coach Mark Richt finds his ‘second wind’ in return to Miami Hurricanes," 29 Aug. 2017
Zip also does good with dogs and cats, but will definitely need to take it slow in the beginning.

— susan green, OregonLive.com, "Portland-area pets for adoption Aug 29 (photos)," 29 Aug. 2017
As Weather Underground meteorologist Bob Henson pointed out early Saturday morning: There is virtually no precedent for such a slow-moving system maintaining at least tropical storm strength along the Texas coast for five days.

— chas danner and benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Harvey Weakens After Landfall, but Catastrophic Flood Threat Remains," 26 Aug. 2017
The slow-moving nature of the storm meant an extended beating for many coastal communities, collapsing buildings and inundating shorelines with its storm surge.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "Harvey unloading incredible rains over Southeast Texas; Flash flood emergency in Houston," 26 Aug. 2017
The genius of le Carré’s early novels lies in plots that move forward as inexorably as slow-rolling waves.

— david ignatius, The Atlantic, "John le Carré Goes Back Into the Cold," 8 Aug. 2017
For now, Cabin is taking it slow, focusing on the logistics and in-bus experience.

— ryan craggs, CNT, "New Sleeper Bus 'Cabin' Is the Most Luxurious Way to Get Across California," 25 July 2017
Also in the park were an arts and crafts fair and the turtle races, with children choosing a turtle and kneeling at the starting line to cheer their slow-moving entry to the finish line 6 feet away.

— kimberly fornek, chicagotribune.com, "Hinsdale celebrates Fourth with parade, games and crafts fair," 4 July 2017
But even historically, condom advances have been remarkably slow: When they were first widely sold, in the eighteenth century, they were still made of linen and animal parts.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "Can a High-Tech Condom Actually Make Sex Feel Better for Women?," 26 June 2017

First Known Use of slow

15th century

slow Synonyms

Synonyms

laggardly, leisurely, pokily, slowly, sluggishly, tardily

Antonyms

apace, briskly, fast, fleetly, full tilt, hastily, meteorically, quick, quickly, rapidly, snappily, speedily, swift, swiftly

Related Words

carefully, cautiously, deliberately, purposefully; heavily, ploddingly

Near Antonyms

immediately, posthaste, presto, promptly, pronto, readily, soon; impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly; abruptly, suddenly

slow

verb

Definition of slow

transitive verb

:to make slow or slower :slacken the speed of

slow a car

—often used with down or up

intransitive verb

:to go or become slower

production of new cars slowed sharply

See slow defined for English-language learners

Examples of slow in a Sentence

The car slowed and gradually came to a stop.
The extra weight slowed the truck.

Recent Examples of slow from the Web

Just hours after Magnolia House first opened online reservations in February 2016, it was booked solid for the next six months—and things haven't slowed down since.

— lauren matthews, Country Living, "10 Things You Need to Know Before Booking a Stay at Magnolia House," 22 Aug. 2017
That will help drivers slow down and travel around the curve one vehicle at a time and will be one of the final elements of the project, according to Caltrans.

— karen brainard, Ramona Sentinel, "SR-67 Centerline Project underway," 22 Aug. 2017
By locking up the rear wheels, the driver can slow the car, slide the rear end out, and get the front end pointed in the proper direction without having to brake excessively and lose valuable speed.

— brian silvestro, Car and Driver, "How to Execute a Perfect Handbrake Turn [Video]," 10 Aug. 2017
If reports emerging from Auburn camp are to be believed, the Jarrett Stidham hype train has at least slowed down a little bit.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "AL.com All-Access: What can we read into Jarrett Stidham's scrimmage 'performance'?," 8 Aug. 2017
Larger tires also gear down your truck, giving it better fuel economy but slowing acceleration (the engine does more work for every wheel rotation).

— morgan kane, Popular Mechanics, "How to Make Your Own Monster Truck," 2 Aug. 2017
The only thing slowing our slide toward an authoritarian government is the fact that the president* is so bad at it.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Life After Mooch," 31 July 2017
Davis said one of the Chinese planes approached at a high rate of speed from beneath the American plane, then slowed and pulled up, prompting the EP-3 pilot to take evasive action.

— christopher bodeen, The Seattle Times, "China denies its jets operated dangerously in US encounter," 25 July 2017
These groups say that the law, which applies only to elective procedures, is too broad and that forcing providers to create estimates before procedures would slow down patient care.

— rachel bluth, Kaiser Health News, "Price Transparency In Medicine Faces Stiff Opposition — From Hospitals And Doctors," 25 July 2017

First Known Use of slow

1557

slow Synonyms

Synonyms

brake, decelerate, retard, slacken

Antonyms

accelerate, hasten, hurry, quicken, rush, speed (up), step up

Related Words

halt, stop; encumber, hamper, handicap, hinder, hobble, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, obstruct, set back, tie up; bottleneck; arrest, check, constrain, curb, rein, restrain; baffle, foil, frustrate, sabotage, thwart

Near Antonyms

drive, encourage, goad, propel, push, spur, stir, urge; advance, aid, dispatch, ease, expedite, facilitate, forward, further, help

Synonym Discussion of slow

delay, retard, slow, slacken, detain mean to cause to be late or behind in movement or progress. delay implies a holding back, usually by interference, from completion or arrival.

- bad weather delayed our arrival

retard suggests reduction of speed without actual stopping.

- language barriers retarded their progress

slow and slacken also imply a reduction of speed, slow often suggesting deliberate intention

- medication slowed the patient's heart rate

, slacken an easing up or relaxing of power or effort.

- on hot days runners slacken their pace

detain implies a holding back beyond a reasonable or appointed time.

- unexpected business had detained her

SLOW Defined for English Language Learners

slow

play

adjective

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

: not moving quickly : not able to move quickly
: not happening quickly : taking more time than is expected or wanted
: not operating quickly

slow

adverb

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

: in a slow way or at a low speed

slow

verb

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

: to begin to move at a lower speed
: to make (something, such as a car) move at a lower speed
: to become slower

SLOW Defined for Kids

slow

play

adjective \ ˈslō \

Definition of slow for Students

slower; slowest

1 :moving, flowing, or going at less than the usual speed

slow music

Traffic was slow.

2 :taking more time than is expected or desired

We had a slow start on the project.

3 :not as smart or as quick to understand as most people

4 :not active

Business was slow.

5 :indicating less than is correct

My watch is five minutes slow.

6 :not easily aroused or excited

Grandmother is slow to anger.

—

slowly

adverb

—

slowness

noun

slow

verb

Definition of slow for Students

slowed; slowing

:to go or make go less than the usual speed

The car slowed around the corner.

The heavy load slowed the wagon.

Headscratcher for slow

You can slow up and you can slow down. Either way, you're doing the same thing: you're going slower.

slow

adverb

Definition of slow for Students

slower; slowest

:in a slow way

Can you talk slower?

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for slow Spanish Central: Translation of slow Nglish: Translation of slow for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of slow for Arabic speakers

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slow

Definition of slow

slowish

slowness

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slow

Definition of slow

slow vs. slowly

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First Known Use of slow

slow Synonyms

Synonyms

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slow

Definition of slow

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slow Synonyms

Synonyms

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SLOW Defined for English Language Learners

slow

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

slow

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

slow

Definition of slow for English Language Learners

SLOW Defined for Kids

slow

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slowly

slowness

slow

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slow

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