SLOW (DOWN) Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

slow (down) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of slow (down)

as in to die (down)

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slowdown

2 of 2

noun

ˈslō-ˌdau̇n

as in decline

a usually gradual decrease in the pace or level of activity of something disease experts are encouraged by the recent slowdown in the spread of the virus

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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.

Recent Examples of slow (down)

Noun

Much of the fashion conversation over the last year has centered on the luxury slowdown, as commercial pressure puts fantasy and creativity in a headlock. — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026 And if there’s any slowdown in demand for compute or need for compute, that has second, third, and ultimately fourth order impacts on projects that haven’t even been built yet. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Like Zuckerberg, Huang has argued against an industry-wide slowdown, saying the recent spike in safety concerns sparked by AI agents going rogue and hacking into other companies is just an engineering problem that needs to be solved. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 Even leaders of the companies that are developing frontier AI models are calling for a slowdown so that government regulation can catch up. — Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slow (down)

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slow (down)

Verb

But while those will provide short-term relief, the currency is expected to weaken toward the end of the year and mid-2027, and a 100 rupee-per-dollar mark could not be ruled out, strategists said.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
However, following his arrest, the owner, Mohammad Khan, blamed this week's rains for weakening one of the roofs, according to police, who said the investigation was still underway.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

His power slackened in 2025 before a slight resurgence this season.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
During an El Niño, those winds slacken, and the warm water slides eastward, leading to waters becoming generally one to two degrees Celsius above normal in the area around the Galápagos.

— Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of slacken

Noun

Concerns about this recent deceleration aside, a slight quarter-to-quarter boost is obviously preferable to the bundle’s comparable loss of 953,000 customers between the first and second quarters of this year.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Altman and SpaceX's Elon Musk quickly backed Amodei's push for deceleration.

— CJ Haddad, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of deceleration

Noun

When healthy, Ohtani has the ability to break out of even the most dire of slumps with an otherworldly performance, like that three-homer (as a hitter), 10-strikeout (as a pitcher) all-timer.

— Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
In other words, even when people and businesses think ahead and act in their own interests, sticky prices can keep the economy stuck in a slump.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of slump

Noun

With stimulus checks gone and student loan payments back, Maggiulli suggests the drop may partly be a return to normal.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
For instance, the company launched its bronzing drops because community members asked for them on a TikTok live, and created a pickle lip balm because pickles were a huge trend on social media.

— Colleen McKown, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of drop

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slow burn

slow (down)

slowdown

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Style

“Slow (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slow%20%28down%29. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of slow (down)

verb

noun

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