slow down
phr. v..phr. v.. to move or happen at a lower speed; you use this when you want someone to be less fast or less busy.
phr. v.. to reduce the speed of movement or the rate of an activity; can function as both an intransitive and a transitive verb.
You need to slow down before the turn.
The driver had to slow down because the road was wet and slippery from the rain.
Economists predict that the national growth rate will slow down significantly as the central bank continues to raise interest rates.
- Particles
- down
- Separability
- optional
- Pattern
- slow + down (+ object)
often used as an imperative command or to describe a change in physical velocity.
contrast with 'speed up'; note that 'slow down' is more common than 'slow' as a verb in spoken English when describing a change in pace.
Please slow down your car.Please slow your car down.while 'slow down' is often intransitive, when used transitively with an object, the object usually sits between the verb and the particle or after both.