slow

comparative slower · superlative slowest

1. Taking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.

   a slow train; a slow computer

   3 more examples

   Turkey should always be cooked in a slow oven.

   Holding out her small olive hand before her captain, she said in mild and slowest Spanish, "Senor, I buried him;" then paused, struggled as against the writhed coilings of a snake, and cringing suddenly, leaped up, repeating in impassioned pain, "I buried him, my life, my soul!"

   1854, Herman Melville, “The Encantadas”, in Putnam's Magazine

   Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.

   2013 July 20, “The attack of the MOOCs”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   Synonyms: deliberate

2. Not happening in a short time; spread over a comparatively long time.

   As of the current patch, Luke’s crouching Medium Punch has been nerfed. It will now have a larger hurtbox, in addition to having a slower recovery when the attack misses.

   2024 February 27, Rishov Mukherjee, “Street Fighter 6 update 1.11 patch notes: JP, Luke nerfs, Ryu buff, & more”, in Dexerto

   2 more examples

   Theſe changes in the Heav’ns, though ſlow, produc’d / Like change on Sea and Land, ſideral blaſt, / Vapour, and Miſt, and Exhalation hot, / Corrupt and Peſtilent: […]

   1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, signature [Mm3], verso, lines 692–695

   Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads.

   2013 May–June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200

   Synonyms: gradual

3. derogatoryinformalOf reduced intellectual capacity; not quick to comprehend.

   Hey, don't yell at Homer, just because he's a little slow.

   1994, Greg Daniels, “Secrets of a Successful Marriage”, in The Simpsons, season 5, episode 22, spoken by Carl (Hank Azaria)

   1 more example

   Experienced classroom teachers are well acquainted with the attention-seeker, the shy girl, the aggressive boy, the poor concentrator, the slow student,[…]

   1960, Dissertation Abstracts, volume 20, page 4007

   Synonyms: dull-witted

4. Not hasty; not tending to hurry; acting with deliberation or caution.

   He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs xiv:29

   1 more example

   And even after the emotional cast comes off, we need to be slow about getting deeply involved in a relationship again.

   1999, Brian Paul Kaufman, K. Winston Caine, Prayer, Faith, and Healing: Cure Your Body, Heal Your Mind and Restore Your Soul

5. Behind in time; indicating a time earlier than the true time.

   That clock is slow.

   Synonyms: behind

6. Lacking spirit; deficient in liveliness or briskness.

   Synonyms: boring

7. Not busy; lacking activity.

   I'm just sitting here with a desk of cards, enjoying a slow afternoon.

   1 more example

   It was a slow news day, so the editor asked us to make our articles wordier.

   Synonyms: quiet, unbusy

present singular third person slows · participle present slowing · participle past slowed · past slowed

1. transitiveTo make (something) run, move, etc. less quickly; to reduce the speed of.

   slow the process

2. transitiveTo keep from going quickly; to hinder the progress of.

   slow the traffic

   Synonyms: delay, hinder, retard

3. intransitiveTo become slow; to slacken in speed; to decelerate.

   After about a minute, the creek bed vomited the debris into a gently sloped meadow. Saugstad felt the snow slow and tried to keep her hands in front of her.

   2012 December 26, John Branch, “Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Nov 2013

   1 more example

   As he passed though the station, he slowed to yell to the signalman, Frank 'Sailor' Bridges: "Sailor - have you anything between here and Fordham? Where's the mail?" Gimbert knew the mail train was due, and he didn't want to endanger another train with his burning bomb wagon.

   2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 42

   Synonyms: decelerate, slacken

plural slows

1. Someone who is slow; a sluggard.
2. entertainmentA slow song.

comparative slower · superlative slowest

1. Slowly.

   That clock is running slow.

   2 more examples

   I want to dance with you nice and slow.

   Let him have time to mark how slow time goes / In time of sorrow.

   1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC