slash
noun · verb · adverb
Simple meaning
A wound made by cutting.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
slashIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈslæʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A wound made by cutting
A swift, broad cutting stroke, especially one made with an edged weapon or whip.
sports
A wide striking motion made with an implement such as a cricket bat, hockey stick, or lacrosse stick.
A deep cut or laceration, as made by an edged weapon or whip.
figuratively
A sharp reduction in resources allotted.
Something resembling such a mark
verb
Cut with sweeping strokes; as with an ax or machete
Cut open
Cut drastically
To cut or attempt to cut, particularly
To cut with a swift broad stroke of an edged weapon.
To produce a similar wound with a savage strike of a whip.
adverb
Used to note the sound or action of a slash.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A wide striking motion made with an implement such as a cricket bat, hockey stick, or lacrosse stick.
Used this way, slash is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a sporting use: familiar to anyone who follows the game, and puzzling to anyone who does not.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Sports
- News/reporting
- Everyday conversation
Nearby words
- separatrix , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use slash
- “The gardener used a sharp knife to slash the overgrown vines.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Someone who slashes another person.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A pocket in a garment (usually below the waist) to which access is provided by a vertical or diagonal slit in the outside of the garment.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.