# slope

Pronunciation: say "SLOHP" US /sloʊp/, UK /sləʊp/

## Noun

1. An area of ground that rises or falls evenly in one direction.
   - Simple: Ground that goes up or down in a steady way.
   - _The hikers paused halfway up the slope to catch their breath._
   - _A gentle slope led down from the cabin to the lake._
2. The extent to which a surface is tilted up or down from the horizontal.
   - Simple: How steep a surface is as it rises or falls.
   - _Engineers measured the slope of the hillside before approving the road._
   - _A wheelchair ramp must have a gentle enough slope to be safe._
5. The ratio of the vertical change to the horizontal change between two points on a line.
   - Simple: How steep a line is, found by comparing how far it goes up to how far it goes across.
   - _The slope of the line is two, meaning it rises two units for every unit across._
   - _A negative slope tells you the line falls from left to right._
6. The steepness of a roof surface, given as the ratio of vertical rise to horizontal run.
   - Simple: How steeply a roof rises, measured by how much it goes up for each step across.
   - _The contractor specified a 6:12 slope for the new garage roof._
   - _Steeper roof slopes shed rain and snow more efficiently._
7. The steepness of a curve at a given point, equal to the slope of the line tangent to the curve there.
   - Simple: How steep a curve is at one exact point, matching the line that just touches it there.
   - _The slope of the curve at its peak is zero._
   - _Calculus lets you find the slope at any single point on a curving graph._
10. An offensive slur for a person of Chinese or other East Asian descent.
   - Simple: A very rude and hurtful word for a person of East Asian descent.
   - _Bigots called her a slope, a slur that wounded her deeply._
   - _Some veterans admitted they had once called local civilians slopes, a shame they later regretted._

## Verb

3. To rise or fall steadily in one direction.
   - Simple: To go up or down in a steady direction.
   - _Vineyards slope toward the southern sun across the whole region._
   - _The beach sloped gradually into the calm water._
4. To give something a slanting direction, shaping it so that it inclines.
   - Simple: To make something lean or slant to one side.
   - _Masons slope the windowsills outward to drain rainwater._
   - _The architect sloped the ceiling to create a dramatic effect._
8. To try to move or leave quietly, so as not to be noticed. *(colloquial, UK)*
   - Simple: To try to move somewhere quietly so that other people do not notice you.
   - _The boys would slope off to the pub the moment the boss left._
   - _He sloped quietly out the back door while the others argued._
9. To hold a rifle resting on the shoulder in a set drill position, the forearm holding the butt in front of the body.
   - Simple: To carry a rifle resting on your shoulder, held in a set drill position.
   - _Recruits learn to slope arms smoothly during their first week of drill._
   - _The guard sloped his rifle and began the slow march._

## Adjective

11. Rising or falling at an angle rather than lying level. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Going up or down at an angle, not flat.

## Adverb

12. In a sloping manner; slantingly. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In a leaning or slanting way.

## Origin

The word comes from "aslope," an older adjective and adverb.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/slope (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).