slope
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.a piece of ground or a surface that is higher at one end than the other.
n.a surface or stretch of ground that deviates from the horizontal by tending upward or downward.
Simple“The children spent the afternoon sledding down the snowy slope behind their house.”
In context“The hikers struggled to maintain their footing on the steep, muddy slope as the rain intensified during the final ascent.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the amount or angle by which something slopes.
n.the degree or measure of inclination from the horizontal.
Simple“The roof has a very sharp slope to help the heavy snow slide off easily.”
In context“The architect adjusted the slope of the access ramp to ensure it complied with local accessibility regulations for wheelchair users.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a number that shows how steep a straight line is on a graph.
n.the ratio of the vertical change to the horizontal change between two points on a line.
Simple“In this equation, the letter 'm' represents the slope of the line.”
In context“Students were asked to calculate the slope of the tangent line at various points along the curve to determine the rate of change.”
Synonyms - 04 B1 Intermediate
v.to go up or down at an angle.
v.to incline or slant away from the vertical or horizontal plane.
Simple“The garden slopes gently down toward the river at the bottom of the hill.”
In context“The floor of the old theatre slopes toward the stage, providing every member of the audience with an unobstructed view of the performance.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
v.to leave or move somewhere quietly so that nobody notices you.
v.to move or depart in a quiet, stealthy, or surreptitious manner, often to avoid work or detection.
Simple“He tried to slope off early before the boss could give him more work.”
In context“Rather than staying to help with the cleanup, several guests managed to slope away into the night as soon as the music stopped.”
Usageoften used with 'off' or 'away'
- 06 C2 Proficiency
n.a very offensive and rude word for someone from East Asia.
n.a highly offensive, derogatory racial slur directed at people of East Asian descent.
Simple“The film was criticized for including characters who used racial slurs like slope.”
In context“The use of the term slope in the historical document highlights the pervasive xenophobia of that particular era.”
Teacher's tipThis term is a severe racial slur; learners should be aware of its offensive nature to avoid using it and to recognize it as hate speech.
“As he picked his way past the frozen slope towards two bodies, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa knew his friends were gone.”
“In the wild, they grow only on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.”
From aslope (adjective, adverb).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.