slope

1 of 3

adjective

: 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 nightWolcott 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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
In Slovakia, the channel slopes downward towards the mansion. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025 From the main building, the resort slopes down past lush gardens and swimming pools to Polo Beach, a secluded 600-foot stretch of white sand protected by black lava rock formations on both ends. Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
In a video shared on the official Audi FIS World Cup Instagram, Vonn is seen pumping her fists in the air and cheering along with the crowd in celebration after completing her race at the bottom of the slopes in Sun Valley. Escher Walcott, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025 Even better: add a few days to your itinerary for visiting a wine region, like Lavaux, which has spectacular terraced slopes overlooking Lake Geneva. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for slope

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of slope was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slope. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

slope

1 of 3 adjective
: 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

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