slope

1 of 3

adjective

ˈslōp 

: that slants : sloping

—often used in combination

slope-sided

slope

2 of 3

verb

sloped; sloping

intransitive verb

1

: to take an oblique course

2

: to lie or fall in a slant : incline

3

: go, travel

slopes off into the night

—Wolcott Gibbs

transitive verb

: to cause to incline or slant

sloper noun

slope

3 of 3

noun

1

: ground that forms a natural or artificial incline

2

: upward or downward slant or inclination or degree of slant

3

: the part of a continent draining to a particular ocean

Alaska's North Slope

4

a

: the tangent of the angle made by a straight line with the x-axis

b

: the slope of the line tangent to a plane curve at a point

Synonyms

Verb

• angle
• cant
• cock
• heel
• incline
• lean
• list
• pitch
• slant
• tilt
• tip

Noun

• cant
• diagonal
• grade
• gradient
• inclination
• incline
• lean
• pitch
• rake
• slant
• upgrade

Examples of slope in a Sentence

Verb

His handwriting slopes to the left.

they sloped our new driveway too steeply and now my car scrapes bottom whenever I back out onto the street

Noun

They climbed the steep slope.

What is the angle of the slope?

You can adjust the slope of the ramp.

a slope of 30 degrees

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In the Dolomites, the pleasures of post-slope relaxing are simply woven into the culture. —Pilar Guzmán, Travel + Leisure, 19 Mar. 2023

Below, Vogue tracks the most noteworthy openings, from restaurants, to stores, to post-slope hotspots. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2021

Verb

The full-size board slopes slightly from front to back, giving the keyboard a slight lift. —PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

The upward sloping cloud and 40-week moving average suggest that the primary trend is bullish. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2024

Noun

Full load on steep slopes almost seems to hint at a dirt bike, but surely an 890cc V-twin in the slippery stuff would simply become unmanageable. —Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

Aspen’s swath of five-star resorts, boutique hotels, and world-famous ski and snowboarding slopes make for a winter wonderland that keeps giving even after the holidays (and well into spring). —Will Porter, Architectural Digest, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sloop, probably from aslope, adverb, at an angle

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1591, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing slope

• bunny slope
• continental slope
• glide slope
• nursery slope
• slippery slope
• slope-intercept form
• slope off

Kids Definition

slope

1 of 3 adjective

ˈslōp 

: that slants : sloping

slope

2 of 3 verb

sloped; sloping

: to take a slanting direction : give a slant to : incline

sloper noun

slope

3 of 3 noun

1

: ground that forms a natural or artificial incline

2

: upward or downward slant or degree of slant

3

: the ratio of the change in a vertical direction to the change in a horizontal direction between any two points on the graph of a straight line