/ sləʊp; NAmE sloʊp/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a surface or piece of land that slopes (= is higher at one end than the other)
SYN incline :
a grassy slope
The town is built on a slope .
2.
[ C , usually pl. ] an area of land that is part of a mountain or hill :
the eastern slopes of the Andes
ski slopes
He spends all winter on the slopes (= skiing ) .
3.
[ sing. , U ] the amount by which sth slopes :
a gentle / steep slope
a slope of 45 degrees
the angle of slope
•
IDIOMS
see slippery
■ verb [ v ]
1.
[usually + adv. / prep. ] ( of a horizontal surface ) to be at an angle so that it is higher at one end than the other :
The garden slopes away towards the river.
sloping shoulders
2.
[usually + adv. / prep. ] ( of sth vertical ) to be at an angle rather than being straight or vertical :
His handwriting slopes backwards.
It was a very old house with sloping walls.
3.
[+ adv. / prep. ] ( BrE , informal ) to go somewhere quietly, especially in order to avoid sth/sb
SYN slink :
They got bored waiting for him and sloped off .
••
WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent. (as a verb): from the obsolete adverb slope , a shortening of aslope . The use of the verb in sense 3 may be related to lope .