English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

slighting

verb

The full or partial demolition of a fortification.

slightly

adv

To a small degree or extent.

slightness

noun

The quality of being small, thin, or delicate.

slim

adj

Thin, especially in an attractively slender way.

slime

noun

A thick, sticky, wet substance, such as the mucus produced by snails or slugs.

slimeball

noun

(informal) A dishonest, sleazy, or generally repellent person.

slimehole

noun

(informal) A dirty, run-down place people think badly of.

sliminess

noun

The quality of being wet, slippery, and unpleasant to touch.

slimmer

noun

A person who is trying to lose weight.

slimming

adj

Making a person appear thinner.

slimy

adj

Covered in or resembling slime.

sling

verb

To throw something with a swinging or arcing motion.

slingback

noun

A woman's shoe held on by a strap around the back of the heel, leaving the heel open.

slingshot

noun

A Y-shaped handheld device with an elastic band stretched between its arms, used to fire small stones or other projectiles.

slink

verb

To move quietly and furtively, often out of guilt, embarrassment, or a wish not to be noticed.

slinky

adj

Describing a garment that fits closely to the body and moves smoothly with it.

slip

verb

To lose one's footing or grip and slide accidentally.

slipover

noun

A piece of clothing, such as a top or dress, that can be pulled on quickly and easily.

slipped

adj

Having part of an underlying layer or stalk showing, as with certain garnished dishes.

slipper

noun

A soft, lightweight shoe made to be worn easily indoors.

slippery

adj

Having a smooth, low-friction surface that makes it easy to slide or fall.

slipping

noun

The act of losing grip or footing suddenly; a skid or sudden slide.

slips

noun

In cricket, the fielding positions just behind the batter on the off side, or the fielders standing there.

slipshod

adj

Careless and messy, done without enough care or attention.

slipstream

noun

The pocket of reduced air pressure and turbulence directly behind a fast-moving vehicle or object.

slit

noun

A long, narrow cut or opening.

slither

verb

To move smoothly across a surface with a side-to-side, gliding motion, the way a snake does.

slithering

noun

The act of moving with a smooth, side-to-side gliding motion, as a snake does.

slithery

adj

Moving with a smooth, twisting motion, like a snake.

slitting

noun

The action or process of cutting something into a narrow opening or strip.

slive

verb

To cut or divide something into parts.

sliver

noun

A small, thin, often sharp piece cut or broken off from something larger.

slizzard

adj

(informal) Very drunk or high on drugs.

Sloan

name

A surname and given name of Irish and Scottish origin, meaning "warrior" or "raider."

Sloane

name

A feminine given name and surname, a variant spelling of Sloan, of Irish and Scottish origin.

slob

noun

A person regarded as lazy, messy, or careless about their appearance.

slobber

verb

To let saliva drip or drool from the mouth.

slobbering

noun

The act of drooling or dribbling saliva messily, or of fawning over someone in an excessive, gushing way.

Slocum

name

An English surname, notably borne by sailor Joshua Slocum, the first person to sail solo around the world.

sloe

noun

The small, sharp-tasting wild fruit of the blackthorn.

slog

noun

A long, tiring effort or period of hard, tedious work.

slogan

noun

A short, memorable phrase used to represent an idea, cause, or brand.

slogger

noun

(cricket) A batsman who tries to score runs quickly by hitting every ball hard.

sloop

noun

A small sailboat with a single mast and one headsail.

slop

noun

A thick, messy liquid or semi-liquid substance, or unappetizing food.

slope

noun

A stretch of ground that rises or falls at an angle; or the steepness of any such surface or line.

sloped

adj

Slanting rather than flat or level.

sloping

adj

Rising or falling at an angle; slanted.

sloppiness

noun

How sloppy something or someone is.

sloppy

adj

Careless, messy, or lacking neatness or precision.

slops

noun

Wide, loose-fitting trousers.

slosh

verb

To move about in a messy, uncontrolled way, splashing loudly.

sloshed

adj

Very drunk.

sloshing

noun

The sound or movement of liquid splashing about inside a container or space.

slot

noun

A narrow opening or groove designed to fit something into, or an assigned place in a schedule or sequence.

sloth

noun

Laziness or a strong reluctance to make an effort.

slothful

adj

Lazy and unwilling to work or be active.

slothlike

adj

Like a sloth, especially in moving very slowly.

slotted

adj

Having narrow openings or grooves cut into it.

slotter

noun

A person or machine that cuts slots.

slouch

verb

To stand or sit with the shoulders and head drooping forward instead of upright.

slouching

noun

The posture or habit of drooping the shoulders and head instead of standing or sitting upright.

slough

noun

The old skin shed by a snake, or dead tissue that separates from a wound.

sloughing

noun

A piece of skin or tissue that has come away from the body.

Slovak

adj

Relating to Slovakia, its people, or its language.

Slovakia

name

A landlocked country in Central Europe, officially the Slovak Republic, with Bratislava as its capital.

slovakian

adj

Relating to Slovakia, a Central European country.

sloven

noun

A man or boy who is always dirty or untidy.

Slovenia

name

A small country in Central Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, formerly part of Yugoslavia, with Ljubljana as its capital.

slovenly

adj

Untidy in appearance.

slow

adj

Moving, acting, or happening at a low speed; not fast.

slowcoach

noun

Someone, particularly a child, who is slow to move.

slower

adj

The comparative form of "slow," describing something with less speed than another.

slowfooted

adj

Doing something, such as a task, slowly.

slowing

noun

A reduction in speed; the act of losing pace or momentum.

slowly

adverb

At a slow speed or pace; not quickly.

slowness

noun

How slow something or someone is.

slowpoke

noun

Someone who moves or acts unusually slowly, often to the annoyance of others.

slows

noun

An old folk name for milk sickness, an illness once common in frontier communities caused by drinking milk from cows that had eaten poisonous white snakeroot.

SLR

noun

A camera in which a mirror and prism let the photographer look through the actual lens, so the viewfinder shows exactly what the lens sees; short for single-lens reflex.

sludge

noun

Thick, soft, semi-liquid mud, waste, or sediment.

slue

verb

To turn something round a central point.

slug

noun

A soft-bodied, shell-less land mollusk related to the snail.

slugabed

noun

(informal) Someone lazy who stays in bed long after they should have got up.

slugfest

noun

A baseball match with a high score, particularly through home runs.

sluggard

noun

A lazy person who is slow to get started on work that needs doing.

slugger

noun

A boxer known for throwing powerful punches.

slugging

noun

The act of hitting something or someone hard, especially repeatedly.

sluggish

adjective

Slow-moving, lacking energy or alertness.

sluggishly

adv

In a slow, sluggish way.

sluggishness

noun

The state of being slow to act or react.

sluice

noun

A gate or channel that controls the flow of water, often found in canals or dams.

sluiceway

noun

An artificial channel built to carry away extra water.

slum

noun

A rundown, overcrowded urban area where residents live in poverty.

slumber

noun

Sleep, especially peaceful or restful sleep.

slumberer

noun

A person who is sleeping.

slumberland

noun

An imagined place where sleeping people are said to go, or simply the state of being asleep.

slumberous

adj

Feeling sleepy or drowsy.

slumbersome

adj

Marked by sleep; drowsy.

slumbery

adj

(literary) Sleepy or half asleep, and by extension calm and unhurried.

slumming

noun

Spending time in a place or among people considered of lower social status than one's own, often for novelty.

slump

verb

To sit or stand with a drooping, heavy posture, often from tiredness.

slur

noun

An offensive or insulting remark, especially one targeting a person's group identity.

slurp

verb

To eat or drink noisily, especially by sucking in liquid.

slurping

noun

The act or sound of eating or drinking noisily.

slurring

noun

The blending together of separate sounds in speech, music, or a heartbeat.

slurry

noun

A thick, semi-liquid mixture of solid particles suspended in liquid.

slush

noun

Partly melted snow or ice, typically slippery and messy.

slut

noun

A derogatory term for a woman perceived as sexually promiscuous.

slutty

adjective

Resembling or characteristic of a "slut"; seen as sexually provocative or promiscuous.

sly

adjective

Cleverly deceptive or secretive, often in a mischievous way.

slyboots

noun

A clever or crafty person, particularly one who acts secretively and manipulatively yet is nonetheless quite likeable.

slyness

noun

How sly someone or something is.

SM

symbol

Abbreviation for "service mark," a legal symbol used to show a mark protects a service rather than a physical product.

smack

noun

A sharp, stinging slap or blow.

smackdown

noun

A decisive, often humiliating defeat or confrontation.

smackeroonies

noun

(informal) Money, or kisses.

smackhead

noun

(informal) Someone who takes heroin often.

smacking

noun

The act of hitting someone with an open hand, especially as physical punishment.

smackless

adj

Without any kind of smack.

smake

verb

To taste or lick something.

small

adjective

Limited in size, amount, or importance; not large.

smallclothes

noun

Tight trousers reaching to the knee, worn mainly in the 1700s.

smallholder

noun

Someone who owns or works a small farm.

smallholding

noun

A piece of farmland that is small in size.

smallify

verb

To make something smaller or less important.

smallpox

noun

A severe, often fatal infectious disease caused by the variola virus, eradicated worldwide in the 1970s.

smalls

noun

Items that are small in size.

Smallville

noun

A generic or fictional name for a small, quiet town, often used to suggest a humble or rural origin.

smarm

noun

Talk or behaviour that is falsely charming or flattering.

smarminess

noun

The quality of being falsely charming or flattering.

smarmy

adjective

Excessively flattering or ingratiating in an insincere, oily way.

smart

adjective

Intelligent; quick to learn or understand.

smart contract

noun

A program stored on a blockchain that carries out the terms of an agreement — releasing funds, transferring ownership — when it is called and its conditions are met. It does not run by itself: someone or something has to send a transaction that triggers it.

smartass

noun

Someone who acts in an obnoxiously clever or know-it-all way.

smarten

verb

To make someone or something look neater or more presentable.

smarting

adj

Causing a sharp, stinging pain.

smartly

adverb

In a neat, fashionable manner.

smartness

noun

The quality of being intelligent.

smartphone

noun

A mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities, such as internet access and installable apps.

smarts

noun

Intelligence or practical know-how.

smarty

noun

An informal, often mocking term for someone who acts overly clever.

smash

noun

The loud sound of a violent collision or impact.

smashed

adjective

Broken violently into pieces or fragments.

smasher

noun

Something or someone that smashes things.

smashing

adjective

(informal, British) Excellent or wonderful.

smatch

noun

A slight taste of something.

smatter

verb

To make (someone or something) dirty; to bespatter, to soil.

smattering

noun

A small amount of knowledge about a subject, not deep.

SMD

abbreviation

Suck my dick: a crude insult or dismissal used in texting and online chat, roughly equivalent to telling someone to get lost.