inclined; inclining
1
: to bend the head or body forward : bow
2
: to lean, tend, or become drawn toward an opinion or course of conduct
3
: to deviate from a line, direction, or course
specifically
: to deviate from the vertical or horizontal
1
: to cause to stoop or bow : bend
2
: to have influence on : persuade
his love of books inclined him toward a literary career
3
: to give a bend or slant to
incliner
noun
Synonyms
Examples of incline in a Sentence
Verb
She listened with her eyes closed and her head inclined.
The road inclines at an angle of about 12 degrees.
His love of books inclined him toward a literary career.
Noun
We drove up a steep incline to the summit.
You can adjust the incline of the ramp.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Klein, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The Moon's orbit is inclined at about five degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers subject to partisan litmus tests might be inclined to bend those rules.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
In an era inclined to narrative and political art, Tiler Peck is not afraid to give us the pure pleasure of music and dance.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Performed in 1979, Resonances was rigorously choreographed to appear spontaneous, evading governmental restrictions on collective action while simultaneously extending collective action to include people who might not be inclined to act on their own.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Anyone inclined to wring their hands over TikTok’s role in sullying public discourse and internet safety in this country must acknowledge the role of all the leading social media platforms — not only Meta but X and YouTube.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Since the boom of activity trackers like the Fitbit or Apple Watch, many people would be inclined to say around 10,000 steps.
—Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
The trail follows a wide dirt path that is flat for the majority of the hike, featuring just a few inclines.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Movement is clunky and persistently frustrating as climbing even small inclines can be inconsistent.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Viet’s street runs horizontally across a huge incline that begins the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a marvel of steep cliffs and Mediterranean-style homes at the south hook of Santa Monica Bay.
—Audrey Gray, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2024
The trail is wide and flat for the majority of the hike, though there are a few inclines on the second half.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2024
The organization recommended that no infant sleep products with more than a 10-degree recline should be sold (sleepers typically have an incline of up to 30 degrees).
—Christin Perry, Parents, 31 Jan. 2024
The construction site hemmed in by large boulders, rocks and the ocean on one side and a steep incline on the other.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
On a slight incline, the motor matched my effort to fight gravity with just a small percentage of its 100nm torque reserve.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
These gray days tend to feel cooler, so you might be inclined to stay outside longer or forget to reapply sunscreen.
—Sarah Klein, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The Moon's orbit is inclined at about five degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers subject to partisan litmus tests might be inclined to bend those rules.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
In an era inclined to narrative and political art, Tiler Peck is not afraid to give us the pure pleasure of music and dance.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Performed in 1979, Resonances was rigorously choreographed to appear spontaneous, evading governmental restrictions on collective action while simultaneously extending collective action to include people who might not be inclined to act on their own.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Anyone inclined to wring their hands over TikTok’s role in sullying public discourse and internet safety in this country must acknowledge the role of all the leading social media platforms — not only Meta but X and YouTube.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Since the boom of activity trackers like the Fitbit or Apple Watch, many people would be inclined to say around 10,000 steps.
—Delaney Nothaft, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
Noun
One important thing to note about all baby swings: Because babies lie on an incline in swings, these are not safe sleep spaces, and babies should never be left unattended in a swing.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
The trail follows a wide dirt path that is flat for the majority of the hike, featuring just a few inclines.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Movement is clunky and persistently frustrating as climbing even small inclines can be inconsistent.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Viet’s street runs horizontally across a huge incline that begins the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a marvel of steep cliffs and Mediterranean-style homes at the south hook of Santa Monica Bay.
—Audrey Gray, WIRED, 24 Feb. 2024
The trail is wide and flat for the majority of the hike, though there are a few inclines on the second half.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2024
The organization recommended that no infant sleep products with more than a 10-degree recline should be sold (sleepers typically have an incline of up to 30 degrees).
—Christin Perry, Parents, 31 Jan. 2024
The construction site hemmed in by large boulders, rocks and the ocean on one side and a steep incline on the other.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
On a slight incline, the motor matched my effort to fight gravity with just a small percentage of its 100nm torque reserve.
—William Roberson, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near incline
Cite this Entry
“Incline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incline. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incline
1 of 2 verb
in·cline
in-ˈklīn 
inclined; inclining
1
: to bend the head or body forward : bow
2
: to be drawn to an opinion or course of action
inclined to go swimming
4
: to cause to bend, bow, or slant
5
: to have influence on : persuade
my teacher's example inclined me to become a teacher too
inclinable
adjective
in-ˈklī-nə-bəl
incline
2 of 2 noun
in·cline
ˈin-ˌklīn
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