slower

Pluralslowers

1. 1
   adjective

   Comparative of slow.

   A slower pace let the hikers enjoy the scenery without exhaustion.

   The kitchen clock is five minutes slower than my watch, so we nearly missed the bus.

   Note

   The adjective takes -er rather than more, giving the everyday comparative of slow. It can stand before a noun (a slower train) or after be, get or seem, and it often leads into than. It carries every sense of slow, including the clock's: a watch running slower shows an earlier time than the true one. The same spelling also serves as the comparative adverb, and position tells them apart.

2. 2
   adverb

   Comparative of slow.

   She walked slower than usual because her knee still ached.

   Traffic moved slower once the lanes narrowed near the bridge.

   Note

   Slow can itself work as an adverb meaning "slowly", and slower is that adverb's -er form. So walked slower and walked more slowly say the same thing. More slowly is the safer choice in formal writing. Slower sits naturally after verbs of motion: drive slower, go slower, moved slower.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   Something that causes another thing to lose speed or move more gradually.

   Like an anchor dragging behind a boat to hold back its speed.

   The heavy clay along the bank acts as a natural slower on the river's flow.

   A drag chute serves as a slower for the jet during landing.

   Similarbrake, check, drag

   Oppositeaccelerator

   Note

   This noun is a separate word that only shares its spelling with the comparatives. It is the verb slow plus the agent suffix -er, built the way a heater heats or a cutter cuts. It names whatever does the slowing, such as clay on a riverbank or a drag chute. Unlike the comparative adjective, it takes a plural: slowers.

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