Synonyms of slough

slough 1 of 3

noun

ˈslü 

variants also slew or slue

as in marsh

spongy land saturated or partially covered with water

the land for miles around the lake is strewn with ponds, sloughs, and mudflats

Synonyms & Similar Words

• marsh
• wetland
• swamp
• bog
• wash
• mud
• muskeg
• fen
• marshland
• morass
• swampland
• moor
• mire
• swale
• quagmire
• muck
• sludge
• ooze
• slime
• guck
• slop
• slush

slough

2 of 3

verb (1)

as in to shuffle

to move heavily or clumsily

the unpleasant task of sloughing through the muck to retrieve the ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shuffle
• stumble
• stomp
• barge
• clump
• lump
• flounder
• stump
• haul
• lurch
• trudge
• tramp
• shamble
• drag
• weave
• stamp
• galumph
• lumber
• scuffle
• slog
• pound
• scuff
• plod
• stagger
• flog
• tromp
• flop
• sway
• waddle
• reel
• blunder
• totter
• dodder
• careen
• teeter
• wobble

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• coast
• slide
• breeze
• glide
• float
• whisk
• drift
• hang
• waltz
• hover
• waft
• poise

slough

3 of 3

verb (2)

ˈsləf 

variants also sluff

as in to shed

to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside

the snake is sloughing its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shed
• peel
• ditch
• discard
• slip
• exfoliate
• molt
• flake
• scale
• unload
• scrap
• throw away
• chuck
• junk
• jettison
• fling (off or away)
• throw out
• shuck (off)

Synonym Chooser

How is the word slough different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of slough are cast, discard, junk, scrap, and shed. While all these words mean "to get rid of," shed and slough imply a throwing off of something both useless and encumbering and often suggest a consequent renewal of vitality or luster.

shed a bad habit

finally sloughed off the depression

When is it sensible to use cast instead of slough?

The words cast and slough can be used in similar contexts, but cast, especially when used with off, away, or out, implies a forceful rejection or repudiation.

cast off her friends

When might discard be a better fit than slough?

The meanings of discard and slough largely overlap; however, discard implies the letting go or throwing away of something that has become useless or superfluous though often not intrinsically valueless.

discard old clothes

How do scrap and junk relate to one another, in the sense of slough?

Both scrap and junk imply throwing away or breaking up as worthless in existent form.

scrap all the old ways

would junk our educational system

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of slough

Noun

Quarterback chaos, a season-high four turnovers, a slew of penalties and a critical special teams gaffe added up to a 27-8 loss and sixth straight defeat in the rivalry. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026

Under a slew of aliases and group names — Cybotron, Model 500, Infiniti, 3MB, Channel One, Borderland — Atkins made music, in some cases nearly a half-century old, that still evokes the future like nothing else. — Michaelangelo Matos, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2026

Verb

Their quest becomes more difficult every year, however, as the remains of pre-Columbian trees slough back into the earth or are dug up to make way for agriculture and construction. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Out toward the edge, the star would boil unstably, sloughing off outer layers and explosively ejecting mass. — Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing slough

• slough (off)
• slough of despond

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