slope
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
slohpIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsloʊp
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
An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.
The degree to which a surface tends upward or downward.
The property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the horizontal
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).
(mathematics, of a line, with respect to a fixed coordinate system) The ratio of the vertical and horizontal distances between two points lying on the line.
verb
transitive
To form with a slope; to give an oblique or slanting direction to; to incline or slant.
intransitive
To tend steadily upward or downward.
ukcolloquialusually followed by a preposition
To try to move surreptitiously.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An area of ground that tends evenly upward or downward.
Used this way, slope is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use slope
- “He climbed the steep slope.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Sloping channel through which things can descend.
The steep descent of the seabed from the continental shelf to the abyssal zone.
The final path followed by an aircraft as it is landing.
The property possessed by a slope or surface that rises.
A snow-covered slope for skiing.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “slope” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.