Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To turn (something) on an axis; rotate.
- intransitive verb To turn sharply; veer.
- intransitive verb To turn about an axis.
- intransitive verb To turn or slide sideways or off course; skid.
- noun The act of slewing.
- noun A large amount or number; a lot.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Preterit of
slay . - noun A spelling of
slue , slue, slough. - noun A swift tideway; an eddy.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- imp. of
slay . - transitive verb See
slue . - noun A wet place; a river inlet.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun US A large
amount . - verb Simple past of
slay . - noun The act, or process of
slaying . - noun A
device used for slaying. - noun A change of
position . - verb transitive, nautical To
rotate orturn something about itsaxis . - verb transitive To
veer a vehicle. - verb transitive To insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time.
- verb intransitive To
pivot . - verb intransitive To
skid . - verb transitive, rail transport to move something (usually a railway line) sideways
- verb transitive, UK, slang To make a public
mockery of someone through insult or wit.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb turn sharply; change direction abruptly
- verb move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
- noun (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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But that slew is a whole other stew, and quite another story as well …
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Near faint at the thought, a certain slew of words had the effect of smelling salts and I perked right up.
French Word-A-Day: 2008
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Near faint at the thought, a certain slew of words had the effect of smelling salts and I perked right up.
French Word-A-Day: 2008
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Near faint at the thought, a certain slew of words had the effect of smelling salts and I perked right up.
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While last year's top pitching prospects are at various stages of rehab from injuries, a new slew is making its presence felt.
USATODAY.com 2002
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I called a slew of people, no one around, or no one doing anything, people hanging out, being mellow, waiting for the next night.
1st half of a long weekend!!! barbylon 2002
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I called a slew of people, no one around, or no one doing anything, people hanging out, being mellow, waiting for the next night.
1st half of a long weekend!!! barbylon 2002
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It was so controversial among his party that Tom DeLay had to break a slew of ethics rules and hold a 15-minute vote open for more than three hours to pass the legislation.
Do Republican presidents really refuse compromise? Ezra Klein 2010
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In fact, when news broke late Friday night, Reid started calling a slew of African-American leaders.
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In fact, when news broke late Friday night, Reid started calling a slew of African-American leaders.
whichbe commented on the word slew
A double contronym(!): meaning both to turn sharply *and* to move smoothly. Also, meaning both a reduction ("kill off") and a plentitude.
August 29, 2008
yarb commented on the word slew
Citation on whaleman.
September 9, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word slew
"v. To insert extra ticks or skip some ticks of a clock to slowly correct its time."
--Wiktionary
March 6, 2012
leontd commented on the word slew
You have a slew option here.
February 22, 2015