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slope
[ slohp ]
verb (used without object)
- to have or take an inclined or oblique direction or angle considered with reference to a vertical or horizontal plane; slant.
- to move at an inclination or obliquely:
They sloped gradually westward.
verb (used with object)
- to direct at a slant or inclination; incline from the horizontal or vertical:
The sun sloped its beams.
- to form with a slope or slant:
to slope an embankment.
noun
- ground that has a natural incline, as the side of a hill.
- inclination or slant, especially downward or upward.
- deviation from the horizontal or vertical.
- an inclined surface.
- Usually slopes. hills, especially foothills or bluffs:
the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
- Mathematics.
- the tangent of the angle between a given straight line and the x- axis of a system of Cartesian coordinates.
- the derivative of the function whose graph is a given curve evaluated at a designated point.
- Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of East Asian origin, especially a Vietnamese or other South Asian.
slope
/ əʊ /
verb
- to lie or cause to lie at a slanting or oblique angle
- intr (esp of natural features) to follow an inclined course
many paths sloped down the hillside
- intr; foll by off, away, etc to go furtively
- tr military (formerly) to hold (a rifle) in the slope position (esp in the command slope arms )
noun
- an inclined portion of ground
- plural hills or foothills
- any inclined surface or line
- the degree or amount of such inclination
- maths
- (of a line) the tangent of the angle between the line and another line parallel to the x- axis
- the first derivative of the equation of a curve at a given point
- (formerly) the position adopted for British military drill when the rifle is rested on the shoulder
- slang.a person from Southeast Asia, especially a Vietnamese
Sensitive Note
Derived Forms
- ˈDZ, noun
- ˈDZ辱ԲԱ, noun
- ˈDZ辱Բ, adjective
- ˈDZ辱Բly, adverb
Other 51Թ Forms
- DZiԲ· adverb
- DZiԲ·Ա noun
- ܲ·DZ adjective
- ܲ·DZiԲ adjective
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of slope1
Idioms and Phrases
- slope off, Chiefly British Slang. to make one's way out slowly or furtively.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
And I think we all need to, because it's a slippery slope.
Critics say Canada is an example of the "slippery slope", meaning that once you pass an assisted dying law it will inevitably widen its scope and have fewer safeguards.
Thousands of fans have watched action on a big screen from the grass slope which is open to supporters without show-court tickets.
Critics often say that once assisted dying is legalised, over time the safeguards around such laws get eroded as part of a "slippery slope" towards more relaxed criteria.
Bargehouse Causeway is a concrete slope that goes directly into the River Thames and is used to transport boats.
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More About Slope
What does slope mean?
In mathematics, the slope (also called the gradient) of a line is a measurement of how steep the line is or how much of a slant it has.
In math, a line is an object with no thickness that extends forever in both directions. In basic math, we assume lines to be perfectly straight, meaning they don’t curve or change directions to form angles.
Take a piece of graph paper to create a Cartesian plane by drawing two perpendicular lines. These two lines are called the axes. The axis going sideways is the x-axis, and the axis going up and down is the y-axis. We use these axes to label where any point on the plane is located. You can then measure the slope of a line compared to the x-axis by using the Cartesian coordinates on your Cartesian plane.
Why is slope important?
The first records of the word slope, which has several other meanings, come from around 1495. It emerged as a variant of the word aslope, meaning “diagonally” or “aslant.” Mathematical slopes and (Cartesian coordinates) were formulated by mathematician and philosopher René Descartes (1596–1650).
In basic math, we only measure slopes of straight lines. Finding the slopes of curved or nonlinear lines is much more complicated and is usually used to introduce students to derivatives in calculus.
Did you know … ?
A horizontal line has a slope of 0, while a vertical line has an undefined slope. The reason for the undefined slope is that the x coordinates would be the same and equal 0 when subtracted from each other. Because you cannot divide by 0, the slope of a vertical line is impossible to determine.
What are real-life examples of slope?
Slopes and slope formulas are a relatively simple mathematical concept that will nonetheless cause misery to students who don’t enjoy math.
Got a B- in 8th grade algebra but I still remember how to calculate a slope, so I've got that going for me
— Michael’s Twiter.com Page (@ErrorAustralis)
8th gr. math students draw their name using only straight lines and then identify the different types of slope using Apple notes!
— Curtis Middle School (@curtisusd259)
What other words are related to slope?
Quiz yourself!
True or False?
In mathematics, the slope of a line is calculated using Cartesian coordinates.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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