slow-walk

verb

ˈslō-ˌwȯk 

slow-walked; slow-walking; slow-walks

transitive verb

: to delay or prevent the progress of (something) by acting in a deliberately slow manner

They can still slow-walk the confirmation process, though, stretching out the Senate's consideration for each Cabinet-level pick for days, which collectively could strangle business in the chamber for months.

—Tamar Hallerman

The suit claims the university slow-walked a formal complaint filed last December, dragging out the internal investigation until some of the accused male swimmers graduated and could no longer be punished.

—Thomas J. Prohaska

slow-walking noun

The slow-walking of processing asylum claims, and the huge backlog of cases at ports of entry, are only adding to tensions in the region.

—Roberta Jacobson and Dan Restrepo

Examples of slow-walk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Then–Secretary of State Clinton was accused by her opponents of slow-walking the appropriate military countermeasures, costing lives. —Matthew Kirschenbaum, The Atlantic, 16 Aug. 2024

Florida’s law allows the public to request a broad swath of information from state agencies, but DeSantis’ administration has repeatedly slow-walked or deliberately stymied the release of some records. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 26 July 2024

The trial has already been postponed for more than a year as defense attorneys accuse the prosecution of slow-walking the disclosure of evidence through discovery. —Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 24 July 2024

The commission has suggested adding more process — requiring more time and more review — that slow-walks any City Council action on public safety with red tape. —Donna Lieberman, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

slow–walk

verb

: to delay or prevent the progress of (something) by acting in a deliberately slow manner