slow
- 01 A1 Beginner
adj.moving at a low speed or taking a long time to do something.
adj.moving, proceeding, or acting with low velocity; taking more time than is usual or expected.
Simple“The traffic was very slow because of the heavy rain on the highway.”
In context“The elderly man made slow but steady progress up the steep hill, pausing occasionally to catch his breath.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
adj.having little activity or not many customers.
adj.characterised by a lack of business activity or social excitement.
Simple“Tuesday is usually a slow day at the restaurant, so we close early.”
In context“Economic growth remained slow throughout the first quarter, leading many investors to adopt a more cautious strategy.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
adj.showing a time that is earlier than the real time.
adj.indicating a time earlier than the correct time; used of a timepiece.
Simple“My watch is five minutes slow, so I arrived late for the meeting.”
In context“The station clock was notoriously slow, causing several commuters to miss their connections despite arriving on the platform on time.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.taking a long time to understand things.
adj.demonstrating a perceived lack of intellectual quickness or comprehension.
Simple“He is a bit slow to catch on to jokes, but he is very kind.”
In context“The teacher noticed that while the student was slow to grasp abstract mathematical concepts, his mechanical skills were exceptional.”
Teacher's tipThis sense can be offensive or derogatory; learners should use it with caution when describing people.
- 05 A2 Elementary
v.to move more slowly or to make something move more slowly.
v.to reduce the speed of something or to decelerate.
Simple“You should slow down when you drive through a school zone.”
In context“The pilot began to slow the aircraft as it approached the runway, carefully monitoring the airspeed indicators.”
UsageOften used with the particle 'down'.
SynonymsdeceleratebrakeAntonyms - 06 A2 Elementary
adv.at a low speed.
adv.at a low speed; often used in informal speech or short commands where 'slowly' might feel too formal.
Simple“The sign on the road said 'Go Slow' because of the construction.”
In context“Even though the instructions were complex, he told his assistant to take it slow to avoid making any costly mistakes.”
PitfallPlease drive more slowly. Please drive slow.While 'slowly' is the standard adverb, 'slow' is very common in informal speech and short commands like 'Go slow'.
- 07 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a song with a slow tempo, often for dancing.
n.a musical composition with a slow tempo, typically a ballad intended for slow dancing.
Simple“The DJ played a few slows at the end of the wedding party.”
In context“After an hour of high-energy tracks, the band transitioned into a series of slows to allow the guests to cool down.”
Synonyms
Usage slow procedure · slow process
From Middle English slow, slaw, from Old English slāw (“sluggish, inert, slothful, late, tardy, torpid, slow”), from Proto-West Germanic slaiw, from Proto-Germanic slaiwaz (“blunt, dull, faint, weak, slack”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *sleyH-u- (“bad”). Cognate with Scots slaw (“slow”), West Frisian sleau (“slow, dull, lazy”), Dutch sleeuw (“blunt, dull”), Low German slee (“dull, sluggish”), German schlehe, schleh (“dull, exhausted, faint”), Danish sløv (“dull, torpid, drowsy”), Swedish slö (“slack, lazy”), Icelandic sljór (“dim-witted, slow”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.