noun
Meaning 1
The act, or process of slewing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
slew
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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slo͞o
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/sl(j)uː/
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/slɪu̯/ Wales, Northern England, some New England, Southern American, and Canadian
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rhymes with -uː
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homophone: sleugh
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homophone: slough
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homophone: slue
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/sluː/
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CMU ARPABET: S L UW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A device used for slewing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A change of position.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Alternative spelling of slough (“a marshy or swampy place”) (reflecting the alternative pronunciation).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A large amount.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- She has a slew of papers and notebooks strewn all over her desk.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bucketful, superflux, abundance, battalion, arseload, assload, bellyload, boatload, brimful, busload, bucketload, butt-ton, bumload, buttload, cartload, crapflood, crapload, deal, fuckload, fuckton, fuckwad, gob, great deal, hantle, heap, hecatomb, helluvalot, horseload, lashings, load, lot, mampus, many, mass, metric fuckton, metric shitload, mickle, mountain, muckle, multiplicity, multitude, pile, ream, shedload, shitflood, shitful, shitload, shitton, sight, slew, spadeloads, sum, ton, trainload, truckload, tun, vaultful, wagonload
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A crowd or large number of people.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: multitude, throng, assemblage, congregation, crowd, flock, horde, huddle, legion, mass, press, slew
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To rotate or turn something about its axis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To veer a vehicle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To pivot.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To skid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To move something (usually a railway line) sideways.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport
Examples
- The single line was slewed onto the disused up formation to make way for the future redoubling.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To make a public mockery of someone through insult or wit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, slang, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
simple past of slay
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, past
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 15
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a batch of letters
- a deal of trouble
- a lot of money
- he made a mint on the stock market
- see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos
- it must have cost plenty
- a slew of journalists
- a wad of money
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, spate, stack, tidy sum, wad
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: large indefinite quantity, large indefinite amount
Narrower terms: flood, inundation, deluge, torrent, haymow
verb
Meaning 16
move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the wheels skidded against the sidewalk
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: skid, slip, slue, slide
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: glide
Narrower terms: submarine, skid, side-slip
verb
Meaning 17
turn sharply; change direction abruptly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The car cut to the left at the intersection
- The motorbike veered to the right
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: swerve, sheer, curve, trend, veer, slue, cut
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: turn
Narrower terms: peel off, yaw
History
Etymology
In all senses, a mostly British spelling of slue.
Attested since at least 1708, a North American variant of slough.
Borrowed from Irish slua (“crowd”) and Scottish Gaelic sluagh (“crowd”), from Middle Irish slúag, from Old Irish slóg, from Proto-Celtic *slougos (“troop, army”), from Proto-Indo-European *slowghos, *slowgos (“entourage”).
Ablaut of slay, from Middle English slew, sleugh, past of Middle English sleen. Replaced earlier Middle English slough, slogh, from Old English slōg (past of Old English slēan (“to hit, strike, slay”)), due to the influence of knew, drew, etc. More at slay.
Across languages
Translations
36 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Dutch: ommekeer — change of position
- Catalan: munt — a large amount
- Catalan: tou — a large amount
- Dutch: een groot aantal — a large amount
- German: Menge — a large amount
- German: Reihe — a large amount
- German: ganze Reihe — a large amount
- Portuguese: amontoado — a large amount
- Portuguese: montão — a large amount
- Russian: ма́сса (mássa) — a large amount
- Spanish: gran / grossa cantidad / cuantía — a large amount
- Spanish: retahíla — a large amount
- Swedish: massa — a large amount
- Swedish: mängd — a large amount
- Vietnamese: đống — a large amount
- Czech: otočit — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Dutch: omkeren — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Dutch: draaien — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Portuguese: girar — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Portuguese: fazer girar — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Portuguese: virar — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Portuguese: fazer virar — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Slovak: stočiť — to rotate or turn something about its axis
- Czech: zatočit smykem — to veer a vehicle
- Czech: smýknout — to veer a vehicle
- Czech: dostat do smyku — to veer a vehicle
- Dutch: zwenken — to veer a vehicle
- Dutch: instellen — to insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time
- Dutch: regelen — to insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time
- Dutch: omwentelen — to pivot
- Dutch: draaien — to pivot
- Czech: smýknout se — to skid
- Dutch: schuiven — to skid
- Dutch: slippen — to skid
- Dutch: verschuiven — to move something (usually a railway line) sideways
- Dutch: iemand te kakken zetten — to make a public mockery of someone through insult or wit