What does slow mean?

Definitions for slow
sloʊslow

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word slow.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. slowadjective

    not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

    "a slow walker"; "the slow lane of traffic"; "her steps were slow"; "he was slow in reacting to the news"; "slow but steady growth"

  2. slowadjective

    at a slow tempo

    "the band played a slow waltz"

  3. dense, dim, dull, dumb, obtuse, slowadjective

    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity

    "so dense he never understands anything I say to him"; "never met anyone quite so dim"; "although dull at classical learning, at mathematics he was uncommonly quick"- Thackeray; "dumb officials make some really dumb decisions"; "he was either normally stupid or being deliberately obtuse"; "worked with the slow students"

  4. slowadjective

    (used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the correct time

    "the clock is slow"

  5. boring, deadening, dull, ho-hum, irksome, slow, tedious, tiresome, wearisomeadjective

    so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness

    "a boring evening with uninteresting people"; "the deadening effect of some routine tasks"; "a dull play"; "his competent but dull performance"; "a ho-hum speaker who couldn't capture their attention"; "what an irksome task the writing of long letters is"- Edmund Burke; "tedious days on the train"; "the tiresome chirping of a cricket"- Mark Twain; "other people's dreams are dreadfully wearisome"

  6. dull, slow, sluggishverb

    (of business) not active or brisk

    "business is dull (or slow)"; "a sluggish market"

  7. decelerate, slow, slow down, slow up, retardverb

    lose velocity; move more slowly

    "The car decelerated"

  8. slow, slow down, slow up, slack, slackenverb

    become slow or slower

    "Production slowed"

  9. slow, slow down, slow upadverb

    cause to proceed more slowly

    "The illness slowed him down"

  10. slowly, slow, easy, tardilyadverb

    without speed (`slow' is sometimes used informally for `slowly')

    "he spoke slowly"; "go easy here--the road is slippery"; "glaciers move tardily"; "please go slow so I can see the sights"

  11. behind, slowadverb

    of timepieces

    "the clock is almost an hour slow"; "my watch is running behind"

Wiktionary

  1. slownoun

    Someone who is slow; a sluggard.

  2. slownoun

    A slow song.

  3. slowverb

    To make (something) run, move, etc. less quickly; to reduce the speed of.

  4. slowverb

    To keep from going quickly; to hinder the progress of.

  5. slowverb

    To become slow; to slacken in speed; to decelerate.

  6. slowadverb

    Slowly.

    That clock is running slow.

  7. slowadjective

    Taking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.

    a slow train

  8. slowadjective

    Not happening in a short time; spread over a comparatively long time.

    These changes in the heavens, though slow, produced Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast. --Milton

  9. slowadjective

    Of reduced intellectual capacity; not quick to comprehend.

    John is very slow; he is ten seconds behind everybody else when it comes to math.

  10. slowadjective

    Not hasty; not precipitate; lacking in promptness; acting with deliberation.

    He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. --Prov. xiv. 29.

  11. slowadjective

    Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time.

    That clock is slow.

  12. slowadjective

    That takes a long time to transfer data.

  13. slowadjective

    Lacking spirit; deficient in liveliness or briskness.

  14. slowadjective

    Not busy; lacking activity.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Slow

    in composition, is an adverb, slowly.

    This slow-pac’d soul, which late did cleave
    T’ a body, and went but by the body’s leave,
    Twenty perchance or thirty mile a day,
    Dispatches in a minute all the way
    ’Twixt heav’n and earth. John Donne.

    To the shame of slow-endeavouring art
    Thy easy numbers flow. John Milton.

    This day’s death denounc’d, if ought I see,
    Will prove no sudden, but a slow-pac’d evil,
    A long day’s dying to augment our pain. John Milton, Par. Lost.

    For eight slow-circling years by tempests tost. Alexander Pope.

    Some demon urg’d
    T’ explore the fraud with guile oppos’d to guile,
    Slow-pacing thrice around th’ insidious pile. Alexander Pope.

  2. SLOWadjective

    Etymology: slaw, sleaw , Saxon; sleeuw, Frisick.

    Me thou think’st not slow,
    Who since the morning hour set out from heav’n,
    Where God resides, and on mid-day arriv’d
    In Eden, distance inexpressible. John Milton.

    Where the motion is so slow as not to supply a constant train of fresh ideas to the senses, the sense of motion is lost. John Locke.

    These changes in the heav’ns, though slow, produc’d
    Like change on sea and land, sidereal blast. John Milton.

    I am slow of speech, and a slow tongue. Ex. iv. 10.

    Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut. John Milton.

    The slow of speech make in dreams unpremeditated harangues, or converse readily in languages that they are but little acquainted with. Addison.

    Fix’d on defence, the Trojans are not slow
    To guard their shore from an expected foe. Dryden.

    The Lord is merciful, and slow to anger. Common Prayer.

    He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. Prov.

    The politick and wise
    Are sly slow things with circumspective eyes. Alexander Pope.

  3. To Slowverb

    To omit by dilatoriness; to delay; to procrastinate. Not in use.

    Etymology: from the adjective.

    Now do you know the reason of this haste?
    —— I would I knew not why it should be slow’d. William Shakespeare.

Wikipedia

  1. Slow

    In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as v) of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quantity. The average speed of an object in an interval of time is the distance travelled by the object divided by the duration of the interval; the instantaneous speed is the limit of the average speed as the duration of the time interval approaches zero. Speed is not the same as velocity. Speed has the dimensions of distance divided by time. The SI unit of speed is the metre per second (m/s), but the most common unit of speed in everyday usage is the kilometre per hour (km/h) or, in the US and the UK, miles per hour (mph). For air and marine travel, the knot is commonly used. The fastest possible speed at which energy or information can travel, according to special relativity, is the speed of light in vacuum c = 299792458 metres per second (approximately 1079000000 km/h or 671000000 mph). Matter cannot quite reach the speed of light, as this would require an infinite amount of energy. In relativity physics, the concept of rapidity replaces the classical idea of speed.

ChatGPT

  1. slow

    Slow refers to a rate or pace that is less than average or below the normal speed. It can describe movement, progress, or action that takes a longer time than expected or desired. It can also be applied to describe cognitive processes or comprehension. In a broader context, slow can refer to a lack of activity or dullness. It denotes the concept of taking more time than usual.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Slow

    imp. of Slee, to slay. Slew

  2. Slow

    moving a short space in a relatively long time; not swift; not quick in motion; not rapid; moderate; deliberate; as, a slow stream; a slow motion

  3. Slow

    not happening in a short time; gradual; late

  4. Slow

    not ready; not prompt or quick; dilatory; sluggish; as, slow of speech, and slow of tongue

  5. Slow

    not hasty; not precipitate; acting with deliberation; tardy; inactive

  6. Slow

    behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time; as, the clock or watch is slow

  7. Slow

    not advancing or improving rapidly; as, the slow growth of arts and sciences

  8. Slow

    heavy in wit; not alert, prompt, or spirited; wearisome; dull

  9. Slowadverb

    slowly

  10. Slowverb

    to render slow; to slacken the speed of; to retard; to delay; as, to slow a steamer

  11. Slowverb

    to go slower; -- often with up; as, the train slowed up before crossing the bridge

  12. Slownoun

    a moth

Wikidata

  1. Slow

    "Slow" is a song performed by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue taken from her ninth studio album Body Language. The song was later included on Minogue's second Greatest Hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie. Written by Kylie Minogue, Dan Carey, Emilíana Torrini and produced by Sunnyroads, the song served as the album's lead single and was released on 3 November 2003. Musically, the song has an electropop feel. "Slow" received very positive reviews from music critics and fans alike, who thought the single was a departure from previous singles in sound and style. "Slow" was also marked as a highlight of the album and is also known as one of Minogue's best. "Slow" was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in the 47th Grammy Awards. "Slow" received commercial success worldwide, peaking at number one in her native Australia, and Denmark, Spain and United Kingdom. It performed well in other territories, reaching the top ten in Finland, Hungary, Norway, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Germany amongst others. The song had minor success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number ninety-three, but managed to peak at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs, making it Minogue's third single to peak there.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Slow

    slō, adj. not swift: late: behind in time: not hasty: not ready: not progressive.—v.t. to delay, retard, slacken the speed of.—v.i. to slacken in speed.—n. Slow′back, a lazy lubber.—p.adj. Slow′-gait′ed (Shak.), accustomed to walk slowly.—ns. Slow′-hound, sleuth-hound; Slow′ing, a lessening of speed.—adv. Slow′ly.—ns. Slow′-match, generally rope steeped in a solution of saltpetre and lime-water, used for firing guns before the introduction of friction tubes, and sometimes for firing military mines, now superseded by Bickford's fuse, a train of gunpowder enclosed in two coatings of jute thread waterproofed; Slow′ness.—adj. Slow′-sight′ed, slow to discern; Slow′-winged, flying slowly.—n. Slow′-worm, a scincoid lizard, same as Blind-worm—by popular etymology 'slow-worm,' but, according to Skeat, really 'slay-worm,' A.S. slá-wyrm. [A.S. sláw; Dut. slee, Ice. sljór.]

Suggested Resources

  1. SLOW

    What does SLOW stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the SLOW acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. SLOW

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Slow is ranked #133863 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Slow surname appeared 126 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Slow.

    73.8% or 93 total occurrences were White.
    12.7% or 16 total occurrences were Asian.
    6.3% or 8 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    3.9% or 5 total occurrences were Black.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'slow' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2145

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'slow' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2534

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'slow' in Verbs Frequency: #651

  4. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'slow' in Adjectives Frequency: #240

Anagrams for slow »

  1. lows

  2. owls

  3. sowl

How to pronounce slow?

How to say slow in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of slow in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of slow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of slow in a Sentence

  1. Patricia Bannan:

    The shells slow you down, and they provide a visual cue to see how much you’ve eaten, you also get 49 pistachios in an one ounce serving, for about 160 calories.

  2. Diego Recalde:

    In Guatemala, 170,000 families, approximately 900,000 people, have no food reserves left. This is the third consecutive year they have been hit by drought, this is a slow emergency that's not visible but we can already notice chronic child malnutrition is increasing.

  3. Puneet Talwar:

    These initiatives will have a ... pretty significant impact because they are about better communications and breaking down stovepipes, that doesn't mean we're going to change our standards, but we can remove hurdles that are unnecessary and slow things down.

  4. Charlie Whiting:

    The stewards accepted Nico’s explanation and looked at the data and felt that he had slowed down, but then the question is did he slow down enough, what’s enough? So if you can’t set a time, then that’s that, it removes all that subjective discussion.

  5. Gina Szymanski:

    Investors don't want to invest in a company with such a high cash-burn rate, they have got to slow their growth down and focus a little bit more on profitability.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

slow#1#2901#10000

Translations for slow

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"slow." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/slow>.

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    an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
    A troop
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    C nuisance
    D accident

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