slopenoun/sloʊp/

• 1

  A surface that either inclines or declines in a regular manner from the perspective of an observer.

  • the slope
  • She looked down a slope, needing to squint for the sunlight, onto a vast sprawl of houses which had grown up all together, like a well-tended crop, from the dull brown earth...
• 2

  An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.

  • I had to climb a small slope to get to the site.
  • a steep slope
• 3

  The degree to which a surface tends upward or downward.

  • The road has a very sharp downward slope at that point.
• 4

  mathematicssciencesThe ratio of the vertical and horizontal distances between two points lying on the line.

  • The slope of this line is 0.5
• 5

  mathematicssciencesThe slope of the line tangent to the curve at the given point.

  • The slope of a parabola increases linearly with x.
• 6

  The angle a roof surface makes with the horizontal, expressed as a ratio of the units of vertical rise to the units of horizontal length (sometimes referred to as run).

  • The slope of an asphalt shingle roof system should be 4:12 or greater.
• 7

  a concept or idea which suggests a type of oblique or accelerating progression

  • The habit of lying can quickly become a slippery slope.
  • Not just confined to biking, once you loose that confidence or get knocked back either physically or mentally, it's a hard slope to climb back up...
• 8

  vulgaroffensiveslurAn East or Southeast Asian person, especially one that is Chinese.

slopeverb/sloʊp/

• 1

  To tend steadily upward or downward.

  • The road slopes sharply down at that point.
  • If the afternoon was fine they strolled together in the park, very slowly, and with pauses to draw breath wherever the ground sloped upward. The slightest effort made the patient cough.
• 2

  To form with a slope; to give an oblique or slanting direction to; to incline or slant.

  • to slope the ground in a garden; to slope a piece of cloth in cutting a garment
• 3

  To try to move surreptitiously.

  • I sloped in through the back door, hoping my boss wouldn't see me.
  • She watched him disappear out of sight, before sloping back to her room.
• 4

  governmentmilitarypoliticsTo hold a rifle at a slope with forearm perpendicular to the body in front holding the butt, the rifle resting on the shoulder.

  • The order was given to "slope arms".

slopeadj/sloʊp/

• 1

  obsoleteSloping.

  • A bank not steep, but gently slope.
  • Down the slope hills.

slopeadv/sloʊp/

• 1

  obsoleteslopingly

  • So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge Return'd on that bright beam , whose point now rais'd , Bore him slope downward to the sun