📖 S — The English dictionary · page 54

skydiver — Everyday, meaning 1: A skydiver is a person who jumps out of an aeroplane high up, falls through the air, and then opens a parachute to land safely.↗ Example: The skydiver leapt from the plane at four thousand metres.↗ · Skydivers fall very fast before opening their parachutes.↗ · My uncle is a skydiver and has done 200 jumps.↗ · Air resistance slows the skydiver down.↗ · The skydivers held hands in a circle in the sky.↗ · A skydiver must check the parachute carefully before every jump.↗

skylight — Everyday, meaning 1: A skylight is a window in a roof or ceiling that lets daylight in from above.↗ Example: Rain drummed on the skylight.↗ · The skylight lets light into the attic.↗ · We could see stars through the skylight.↗ · The cat climbed out through the open skylight.↗ · A skylight saves electricity in the day.↗ · Snow covered the skylight.↗

skyscraper — Everyday, meaning 1: A skyscraper is a very tall building with many floors, in a city.↗ Example: New York has many skyscrapers.↗ · The skyscraper has 80 floors.↗ · We went up the skyscraper in a fast lift.↗ · If each floor is 4 m high, a 50-floor skyscraper is 200 m tall.↗ · From the top of the skyscraper the cars looked tiny.↗ · Skyscrapers are built with steel frames.↗

skyward — Everyday, meaning 1: Upward, towards the sky.↗ Example: He looked skyward and saw the birds.↗ · The larks flew skyward.↗ · She raised her eyes skyward and made a wish.↗ · A skyward gaze is a hopeful one.↗

slab — Everyday, meaning 1: A slab is a thick, flat piece of something hard, like stone, concrete or wood.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A slab can be a thick, flat piece of food, such as a slab of cake or chocolate.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In building, a slab is a flat concrete floor or base.↗ Example: The path was made of grey stone slabs.↗ · He cut a huge slab of chocolate cake.↗ · Workers poured a concrete slab for the shed.↗ · A heavy slab covered the old well.↗ · Be careful: that paving slab is loose.↗ · The butcher cut a slab of meat.↗ · The garden has twelve slabs in three rows of four.↗ · A heavy stone slab was turned and then lifted.↗ · And the slabs, a handbreadth long, were fastened within round about; and upon the tables was to be the flesh of the offering.↗ (Prophets EZK.40.43, JPS 1917)↗

slack — Everyday, meaning 1: Slack means loose, not pulled tight: a slack rope.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Slack means not busy: business is slack in winter.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Slack means lazy or careless: slack work.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To slack or slack off is to work less hard than you should.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (informal) "Cut someone some slack" means be less strict and more forgiving with them.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: (UK slang) "That's slack" can mean unfair or mean.↗ Everyday, meaning 7: Slacks are casual trousers.↗ Example: The rope went slack when he let go.↗ · Pull the washing line tight so it isn't slack.↗ · Business at the ice-cream van is slack in winter.↗ · Stop slacking and finish your homework!↗ · Cut her some slack — she's had a hard week.↗ · (UK slang) "You ate all the sweets?↗ That's slack!"↗ · Dad wore smart slacks to the party.↗ · The coach told us not to slack off in training.↗ · Fear fell llke night around the Fianna, and they stood with slack knees and hanging hands waiting for death.↗ · and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face.↗ (Torah DEU.7.10, JPS 1917)↗ · When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it; for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it will be sin in thee.↗ (Torah DEU.23.21, JPS 1917)↗ · All hands shall be slack, and all knees shall drip with water.↗ (Prophets EZK.7.17, JPS 1917)↗ · Therefore shall all hands be slack, and every heart of man shall melt.↗ (Prophets ISA.13.7, JPS 1917)↗ · Even one that is slack in his work is brother to him that is a destroyer.↗ (Writings PRO.18.9, JPS 1917)↗

slacken — Everyday, meaning 1: To make something less tight, or to become less tight: slacken a rope.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To become slower, weaker or less busy: the pace slackened, the rain slackened.↗ Example: Slacken the rope a little so the knot comes undone.↗ · The rain slackened and we went out to play.↗ · Near the finish line, the runner did not slacken his pace.↗ · The sail slackened when the wind dropped.↗ · Traffic slackens after rush hour.↗ · Don't slacken your effort before the test.↗ · At length the horse slackened its pace.↗ ‘Look and see who is behind you,’ it said; and the young man looked.↗ · Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: 'Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.'↗ (Prophets 2KI.4.24, JPS 1917)↗

slacking — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) Slacking means being lazy and not doing work you should be doing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Slacking means getting looser or slower, like a rope or the wind (often «slackening»).↗ Example: Stop slacking and get on with your work.↗ · The coach said, «No slacking at training!»↗ · He was caught slacking on his phone.↗ · I've been slacking with my reading this week.↗ · We can't afford to start slacking now.↗

slag — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) Rocky waste left over when metal is taken from ore.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, rude, offensive) An insulting word for a woman; never use it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: slag off (UK, slang) To criticise someone rudely behind their back.↗ Example: The old mine left a huge slag heap.↗ · Slag from the furnace was dumped by the river.↗ · Stop slagging off your sister; it's unkind.↗ · He slagged off the referee after the match.↗ · The grey slag looked like rough stone.↗ · Calling someone that word is rude and hurtful.↗

slain — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal, old-fashioned) Killed violently, especially in battle or in stories.↗ e.g. "The dragon was slain."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective) Killed.↗ e.g. "the slain soldiers".↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (slang, from «slay») Overwhelmed with laughter or amazement — "I'm slain" (rare); "slay" in slang means do something brilliantly.↗ e.g. "You slayed!"↗ Example: The knight has slain the dragon!↗ · Many soldiers were slain in the battle.↗ · In the Bible, Goliath was slain by David.↗ · The newspaper headline said "Police officer slain".↗ · St George is said to have slain a dragon.↗ · "You totally slayed that dance!"↗ (slang)↗ · I have not slain a single man of your troop.↗ · The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.↗ (Torah GEN.34.27, JPS 1917)↗ · then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain.↗ (Torah DEU.21.2, JPS 1917)↗ · Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness.↗ (Torah NUM.14.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Jonathan upon thy high places is slain!↗ (Prophets 2SA.1.25, JPS 1917)↗ · In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain.↗ (Writings DAN.5.30, JPS 1917)↗ · Thy beauty, O Israel, upon thy high places is slain!↗ (Prophets 2SA.1.19, JPS 1917)↗

slam — Everyday, meaning 1: To slam a door, window or lid is to shut it hard and loudly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To slam something down or into something is to put or push it with great force.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To slam into something is to crash into it.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To slam someone or something (informal) is to criticise them strongly.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A slam is the loud noise of something shutting or hitting hard.↗ Everyday, meaning 6: A slam dunk in basketball is when a player jumps and pushes the ball down through the hoop.↗ Example: She slammed the door and stormed upstairs.↗ · Don't slam the door; you'll wake the baby.↗ · The wind slammed the gate shut.↗ · The driver slammed on the brakes.↗ · The car slammed into the fence.↗ · He slammed his books down on the desk.↗ · We heard the slam of a car door.↗ · The player made a slam dunk.↗ · ‘Go then!’ cried Tephany, and entering the house she slammed the door behind her.↗

slander — Everyday, meaning 1: Untrue spoken words that harm someone's good name.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To tell lies about someone in order to harm their name.↗ Example: The spiteful girl spread slander about her friend.↗ · Don't slander people by telling lies.↗ · The old woman began to slander the young queen.↗ · Slander can hurt a person deeply.↗ · Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.↗ (Writings PSA.50.20, JPS 1917)↗ · Slander not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.↗ (Writings PRO.30.10, JPS 1917)↗ · He that hideth hatred is of lying lips; and he that uttereth a slander is a fool.↗ (Writings PRO.10.18, JPS 1917)↗

slang — Everyday, meaning 1: Very informal words and phrases used in casual talk, often by a group such as young people, and not used in formal writing.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb, UK, informal) slanging match: an angry argument with insults.↗ Example: "Cool" is slang for "very good".↗ · Don't use slang in your essay.↗ · In Australian slang, "arvo" means afternoon.↗ · Cockney rhyming slang uses "apples and pears" for stairs.↗ · My grandad doesn't understand our slang.↗ · "Quid" is British slang for a pound.↗ · The neighbours had a slanging match over the fence.↗ · Real fairies never preach or talk slang.↗

slangy — Everyday, meaning 1: Using a lot of slang: very informal, everyday words and phrases, like «gonna», «cool» or «mate».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sounding like slang, not like proper or formal writing.↗ Example: His slangy texts are full of «gonna» and «wanna».↗ · That word is too slangy for your report.↗ · The book has slangy dialogue that sounds real.↗ · Her slangy speech made her friends laugh.↗ · Change the slangy words into formal English.↗ · "Cheers, mate" is a slangy way of saying thank you.↗

slant — Everyday, meaning 1: A slant is a line or surface that slopes, not straight up or flat.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To slant means to lean or slope.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A slant is also a particular way of seeing or telling something, sometimes unfairly, like a story with a slant.↗ Example: Her handwriting slants to the right.↗ · The rain fell at a slant.↗ · The roof slants down to the garden.↗ · Draw a slanted line from corner to corner.↗ · The sun's rays slanted through the window.↗ · The article had a slant towards one team.↗ · He gave the old story a fresh slant.↗ · So the drakling wriggled through the hole, and began to crawl faster and faster down the slanting shaft that leads to the fire in the middle of the earth.↗ · By His breath the heavens are serene; His hand hath pierced the slant serpent.↗ (Writings JOB.26.13, JPS 1917)↗ · In that day the LORD with His sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent; and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea.↗ (Prophets ISA.27.1, JPS 1917)↗

slap — Everyday, meaning 1: To hit someone or something with an open hand.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A hit with an open hand.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To put something down quickly and noisily.↗ e.g. "She slapped the book on the desk."↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Informal: exactly, directly.↗ e.g. "slap in the middle".↗ Example: Never slap anyone.↗ · He slapped his knee and laughed.↗ · She slapped the mosquito on her arm.↗ · They slapped on some sun cream and ran outside.↗ · Dad gave him a friendly slap on the back.↗ · The fish slapped its tail on the water.↗ · In his eagerness to kill it, he hit himself a smart slap.↗

slapstick — Everyday, meaning 1: A kind of comedy with funny falls, crashes, chases, custard pies and silly fights where nobody is really hurt.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: As an adjective: slapstick humour, a slapstick film.↗ Example: The pantomime was full of slapstick.↗ · The clown slipped on a banana skin — classic slapstick.↗ · My little brother laughs at slapstick cartoons.↗ · Slapstick comedy doesn't need words.↗ · The film had lots of slapstick chases.↗ · Don't copy slapstick stunts at home; real falls hurt.↗

slash — Everyday, meaning 1: To cut something with a long, quick, violent stroke of a blade.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To reduce prices, costs or numbers by a lot.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) A long cut or a wild sweeping blow.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (noun) The sloping line symbol /, used in writing, fractions, dates and web addresses.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: (UK, slang, rude-ish) «Have a slash» means go for a wee (urinate); it is crude and not for school.↗ Example: Write three quarters as 3/4, with a slash.↗ · The shop has slashed its prices by half.↗ · The pirate slashed the rope with his sword.↗ · Someone slashed the tyres on our car.↗ · Type "and/or" with a slash between the words.↗ · Farmers in some rainforests use slash-and-burn farming.↗ · There was a long slash in the tent after the storm.↗ · (UK slang, crude) "Back in a minute, I need a slash."↗ · He slashed into them with a stick and brought them low.↗

slat — Everyday, meaning 1: A long, thin, flat strip of wood, metal or plastic, usually one of a row with gaps between, as in a fence, bed, bench or blind.↗ Example: Sunlight shone through the slats of the blind.↗ · One of the bed slats broke when we jumped on the bed.↗ · The park bench has green wooden slats.↗ · The cat peeped through the slats of the fence.↗ · Tilt the slats to let in more light.↗ · We made a bird table from old slats.↗ · And the Tin Woodman saw that his terrible Beast was nothing but a lot of skins, sewn together, with slats to keep their sides out.↗