SLOWING (DOWN OR UP) Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

slowing (down or up)

verb

present participle of slow (down or up)

as in hanging (around or out)

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for slowing (down or up)

Verb

Those comments now has Aubrey Tianello, senior analyst at BNP Paribas Equity Research, noting that investors might be expecting decelerating comp growth at both core Dick’s and Foot Locker doors.

— Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile the buyer's own depreciation charge keeps climbing on the equipment already purchased, compressing margins into a decelerating revenue base.

— Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of decelerating

Verb

Beneath the balcony, this street, witness to and confidante of the entire twenty-three years of these young people’s lives, was languishing in the fragrant July night, densely thronged with strolling city dwellers even now.

— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
So after strolling through that same doorway Saturday, Mahomes picked up his phone, snapped some photos of the place and texted a few of them to his former teammates.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of strolling

Verb

As the deli’s surveillance video rolled, his client went from calmly standing at the counter with a bottle of Gatorade to staggering to the floor, clutching his leg and tearing at his pants.

— Alison J. Stein, HubSpot, 1 Sep. 2026
The works depicted broken figures staggering toward the viewer in ragged uniforms — in distorted sizes, giant hands and small heads.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

Definition of staggering

Verb

Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion.

— Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
The transition was rough for Ansari, who wasn’t fluent in English and often got in trouble for fooling around in school.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026

Definition of fooling around

Verb

That same day, she was photographed ambling down a picturesque street in a striking purple short set, casually holding an Aperol spritz.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026
Bear #132’s cub managed to survive and was reunited with its family after several days ambling alone.

— Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of ambling

Verb

At the end of all that immersiveness, exiting out onto the physical street to join the crowds of shuffling tourists and fend off sullen Elmos makes Times Square feel like the soul of authenticity.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
An offseason filled with roster shuffling continued Tuesday for the Charlotte Hornets, who completed a three-player deal with Atlanta to land another guard with perimeter shooting potential.

— Staff reports, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Verb

The charter Girardeau sailed with was about four miles out and almost at the its trip when word of the hammerhead was radioed out — the crew decided to take a chance and sped up the coast 15 minutes to see the shark still sauntering in the sea.

— Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 24 Aug. 2026
Before sauntering down the stairwell to the dressing room, Stones stopped to sign autographs for fans in Inter’s pitchside hospitality suites.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of sauntering

Verb

Camarillo hit 99 degrees, inching past the previous record of 98 set in 1953.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Five years later, as the assembly meets this week, the world's climate commitments are dangerously offtrack, and the phase down of coal is inching along.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of inching

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.

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slowing (down)

slowing (down or up)

slowish

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“Slowing (down or up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slowing%20%28down%20or%20up%29. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of slowing (down or up)

verb

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