📖 S — The English dictionary · page 58

slosh — Everyday, meaning 1: When liquid sloshes, it moves around noisily and splashes inside a container or over its edge.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To slosh liquid is to pour or splash it about carelessly.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To slosh through water or mud is to walk through it with splashing steps.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (UK informal) Sloshed means drunk.↗ Example: The water sloshed in the bucket as I carried it.↗ · We sloshed through the puddles in our wellies.↗ · Don't slosh your juice all over the table!↗ · The milk sloshed over the edge of the bowl.↗ · The sea sloshed against the side of the boat.↗ · Dad sloshed some paint on the old fence.↗ · (UK informal) The man in the play came home sloshed.↗

slot — Everyday, meaning 1: A slot is a long, narrow opening where you put something in, like a coin.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A slot is a place or time set aside for something in a list or timetable.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To slot something is to put it into a space where it fits.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (informal, sport) To slot the ball is to score neatly.↗ Example: Put a coin in the slot.↗ · We booked a 10 o'clock slot for swimming.↗ · The piece slotted neatly into the puzzle.↗ · He slotted the ball into the corner of the net.↗ · The card goes in this slot.↗ · There are 6 time slots of 20 minutes each, making 2 hours.↗

sloth — Everyday, meaning 1: A sloth is a slow-moving animal from Central and South America that hangs upside down in trees.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Sloth is laziness (formal or old word).↗ Example: The sloth hung upside down from the branch.↗ · Sloths move very slowly to save energy.↗ · A sloth sleeps about 15 hours a day.↗ · Green algae grow on the sloth's fur.↗ · «Get up, you sloth!» said my sister.↗ · In old stories, sloth is a bad habit.↗

slothful — Everyday, meaning 1: Slothful means lazy, not wanting to work or move about.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A slothful person is one who does nothing and sits about while others work.↗ Example: Her slothful brother would not get out of bed.↗ · The slothful fellow sat by the fire all day.↗ · Being slothful will not get the chores done.↗ · The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.↗ (Writings PRO.21.25, JPS 1917)↗ · The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; but the slothful shall be under tribute.↗ (Writings PRO.12.24, JPS 1917)↗ · The slothful man shall not hunt his prey; but the precious substance of men is to be diligent.↗ (Writings PRO.12.27, JPS 1917)↗

slothfulness — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The habit of being lazy.↗ Example: Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and the idle soul shall suffer hunger.↗ (Writings PRO.19.15, JPS 1917)↗ · By slothfulness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.↗ (Writings ECC.10.18, JPS 1917)↗

slouch — Everyday, meaning 1: To slouch is to sit, stand or walk with your shoulders rounded and your head hanging forward, in a lazy, droopy way.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A slouch is that droopy way of sitting or standing.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) "No slouch" means very good at something: she's no slouch at maths.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A slouched hat is a soft hat with a brim that hangs down loosely.↗ Example: Don't slouch at your desk; sit up straight.↗ · He slouched off to his room in a huff.↗ · The teenager slouched on the sofa looking at his phone.↗ · Slouching over a screen can give you a sore neck.↗ · She's no slouch on the football pitch.↗ · The tired boy walked with a slouch.↗ · Australian soldiers wore slouch hats.↗ · He came in, looking like a wild man, and he wore a slouched hat to protect his head from injury.↗

slow — Everyday, meaning 1: Slow means not fast; it takes a long time to move or to do something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A slow clock or watch shows a time earlier than the real time.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To slow down is to go less fast.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Slow can mean not quick to learn or understand (this can be unkind to say about a person).↗ Everyday, meaning 5: A slow day or time is one when little happens.↗ Example: The slow train goes 40 miles an hour.↗ · The tortoise is slower than the hare.↗ · The slow pump fills 2 litres a minute.↗ · She is 5 minutes slower than Tom.↗ · Cars must go slow near the school.↗ · My watch is 3 minutes slow.↗ · Slow down, the floor is wet!↗ · The film showed the goal in slow motion.↗ · Slow and steady wins the race.↗ · And Moses said unto the LORD: 'Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.'↗ (Torah EXO.4.10, JPS 1917)↗ · The LORD is slow to anger, and plenteous in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.↗ (Torah NUM.14.18, JPS 1917)↗ · The LORD is full of compassion and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.↗ (Writings PSA.103.8, JPS 1917)↗ · The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.↗ (Writings PSA.145.8, JPS 1917)↗ · A wrathful man stirreth up discord; but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.↗ (Writings PRO.15.18, JPS 1917)↗

slowcoach — Everyday, meaning 1: (UK, Ireland, Australia, informal) A person who walks, works or does things too slowly; said in a teasing, friendly way.↗ Example: Come on, slowcoach, we'll miss the bus!↗ · I'm always the slowcoach when we walk up the hill.↗ · Grandad called me a slowcoach because I took ages to tie my shoes.↗ · Don't be a slowcoach — it's nearly time to go.↗ · The tortoise was a slowcoach, but it still won the race.↗ · «Hurry up, slowcoaches!» shouted the teacher.↗

slowdown — Everyday, meaning 1: A time when something becomes slower or less busy.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (business) A drop in how much a country or company makes and sells.↗ Example: There was a slowdown on the motorway because of an accident.↗ · The shop noticed a slowdown in sales after Christmas.↗ · Please slow down near the school.↗ · The slowdown in growth worried the factory owners.↗ · The runner's slowdown on the last lap cost him the race.↗ · Workers held a slowdown instead of a strike.↗

slower — Everyday, meaning 1: Slower means with less speed, moving or working less quickly.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Slower also means taking more time to do something.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A clock that is slower shows an earlier time than the real time.↗ Example: The bus is 20 km an hour slower than the car.↗ · She walks slower than her sister.↗ · How much slower was the second lap?↗ · The slower train takes 3 hours.↗ · A tortoise is much slower than a hare.↗ · Read slower so everyone can follow.↗ · Cars must go slower near the school.↗ · The music got slower and slower.↗ · The Cranes, being light of wing, fled away at his approach; while the Geese, being slower of flight and heavier in their bodies, were captured.↗

slowly — Everyday, meaning 1: At a low speed, not fast.↗ e.g. "Walk slowly."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Over a long time, bit by bit.↗ e.g. "The ice slowly melted."↗ Example: The tortoise walked slowly.↗ · Read the question slowly.↗ · The snail moved slowly across the leaf.↗ · Walk slowly on the wet floor.↗ · Rocks wear away slowly.↗ · Chew your food slowly.↗ · Slowly, the sun went down.↗ · Back away slowly from a strange dog.↗ · The two women walked very slowly.↗

slowness — Everyday, meaning 1: The fact or quality of being slow: moving, happening or working without much speed.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Being slow to understand or react.↗ Example: The slowness of the queue made everyone grumpy.↗ · Snails are famous for their slowness.↗ · We were annoyed by the slowness of the internet.↗ · The slowness of erosion means canyons take millions of years to form.↗ · Despite his slowness, the tortoise kept going.↗ · The doctor worried about the slowness of her heartbeat.↗

sludge — Everyday, meaning 1: Thick, soft, wet mud or a mix of mud and dirty liquid.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Thick, dirty stuff left after cleaning water or from machines: sewage sludge, oil sludge.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Any thick, unpleasant mess, like soggy food or slushy snow.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A sludge-hammer is a big, heavy hammer.↗ Example: Our wellies sank into the sludge.↗ · Green sludge covered the bottom of the pond.↗ · The drain was blocked with sludge.↗ · At the water works, sludge is taken out of the dirty water.↗ · The porridge turned into a cold grey sludge.↗ · Car engines can fill with oil sludge if they are not serviced.↗ · Ole Brer Fox, he grab de sludge-hammer, he did, en he come down on de rock--blim!↗

slug — Everyday, meaning 1: A small, soft, slimy animal like a snail but with no shell, that lives in damp places and eats plants.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A small amount of a drink swallowed quickly (informal).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Informal: a bullet, or a fake coin.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: As a verb (informal), to hit someone hard.↗ Example: A slug left a shiny slime trail on the path.↗ · Slugs have eaten holes in our lettuces.↗ · A slug is like a snail without a shell.↗ · Hedgehogs love to eat slugs.↗ · Slugs come out after rain.↗ · Wash your hands after you touch a slug.↗ · Keep slug pellets away from pets.↗ · We found a fat orange slug under the log.↗ · Just look! that rose is all slug-eaten, and this one is stunted!↗

sluggard — Everyday, meaning 1: (old, Bible) A sluggard is a very lazy person who does not want to work or get up.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (humorous) Sluggard can be used jokingly for someone who sleeps late or moves slowly.↗ Example: «Go to the ant, you sluggard,» says the proverb.↗ · Get out of bed, you sluggard!↗ (joking)↗ · The sluggard's garden was full of weeds.↗ · The fable shows the hard-working ant and the sluggard grasshopper.↗ · Proverbs warns that the sluggard will go hungry.↗ · He was no sluggard; he worked from dawn to dusk.↗ · His master one day, pretending to be angry and shaking his stick at him, said, “You wretched little sluggard! what shall I do to you?↗ · How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?↗ (Writings PRO.6.9, JPS 1917)↗ · Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise; (Writings PRO.6.6, JPS 1917)↗ · The sluggard saith: 'There is a lion without; I shall be slain in the streets.'↗ (Writings PRO.22.13, JPS 1917)↗

sluggish — Everyday, meaning 1: Moving or working slowly, without energy.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (of a machine, body or computer) Slow to respond.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (of money, trade or the economy) Not growing much; slow.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (of a river) Flowing slowly.↗ Example: I feel sluggish after a big Sunday lunch.↗ · The laptop is sluggish; it needs restarting.↗ · Lizards are sluggish until the sun warms them.↗ · The sluggish river wound slowly through the fields.↗ · Toy sales were sluggish this year.↗ · The sluggish traffic made us late for school.↗ · He wrestled with the big and sluggish stone, as if it had been a living enemy.↗

sluice — Everyday, meaning 1: A gate or channel that controls how much water flows in a river, canal or mill stream (also called a sluice gate).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb) To wash something with lots of water: sluice down the yard.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb) Of water: to pour or rush out.↗ Example: The farmer opened the sluice to let water into the field.↗ · Water rushed through the sluice gate.↗ · They sluiced down the muddy yard with a hose.↗ · Rain sluiced down the windows.↗ · The miller closed the sluice to stop the wheel.↗ · Engineers built sluices to stop the town flooding.↗ · Rikki-tikki tingled all over with rage and hatred at this, and then Nag’s head came through the sluice, and his five feet of cold body followed it.↗

slum — Everyday, meaning 1: A slum is a very poor, crowded part of a city where houses are badly built and people often lack clean water, toilets and safe electricity.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, UK) A very messy, dirty room or house.↗ e.g. "Your bedroom is a slum!"↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (verb, informal) To slum it means to live or stay somewhere much cheaper or less comfortable than you are used to, often just for a short time.↗ Example: Many families in the slum shared one water tap.↗ · In Victorian times, slums near the factories were full of smoke and disease.↗ · The city cleared the old slums and built new flats.↗ · Mum looked into my room and said it was a total slum.↗ · We had to slum it in a tiny tent when the hotel was full.↗ · Charities help children in slums go to school.↗ · A slum landlord was fined for leaving the flats damp and cold.↗ · Our geography teacher showed photos of a huge slum in Mumbai.↗

slumber — Everyday, meaning 1: (literary) Sleep.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb, literary) To sleep, often peacefully.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (figurative) A time of being quiet or inactive, like a volcano that has not erupted for years.↗ Example: The princess fell into a deep slumber.↗ · The baby slumbered peacefully in her cot.↗ · We had a slumber party with pillows and popcorn.↗ · The dog was disturbed from its slumber by the doorbell.↗ · The volcano has slumbered for a hundred years.↗ · "Do not wake the dragon from its slumber," whispered the wizard.↗ · But still his brothers slumber on.↗ · Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.↗ (Writings PSA.121.4, JPS 1917)↗ · Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.↗ (Writings PRO.6.4, JPS 1917)↗ · I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids; (Writings PSA.132.4, JPS 1917)↗