Meaning & use
slow
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Moving or happening at low speed, or taking a long time.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a slow train, the train is slow.
Patterns
- slow to do something
- slow at something
The traffic was very slow this morning.
He is a slow reader.
Progress has been slow.
adjectivecomparable
Taking too long to react or understand.
Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb: slow to respond.
Patterns
- slow to do something
The company was slow to respond to the complaints.
I'm a little slow today after so little sleep.
adjectiveafter a verb
Showing a clock or watch time that is earlier than the real time.
Grammar: Used after be: my watch is slow.
Patterns
- slow by minutes
The kitchen clock is five minutes slow.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To become or make something go at a lower speed.
Grammar: Takes an object (slow the car) or none, often with down (traffic slowed down).
Patterns
- slow down
- slow something down
The driver slowed at the corner.
Heavy rain slowed the traffic.
Please slow down, I can't follow you.
adverbnot comparableinformal
At a low speed.
Grammar: Used in fixed expressions and signs: drive slow.
The sign told drivers to go slow.
Take it slow on the icy road.
Word forms
| comparative | slower |
|---|---|
| superlative | slowest |
| third person singular | slows |
| past tense | slowed |
| past participle | slowed |
| -ing form | slowing |
Common combinations
- slow down
- Slow down near the school.
- slow progress
- Progress on the road has been slow.
- slow to react
- The government was slow to react.
- slow cooker
- The stew cooked all day in a slow cooker.
- slow and steady
- Slow and steady wins the race.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gradual
- Describes change that happens in small steps over time, not low speed of movement.
- sluggish
- Suggests lazy or weak movement, and is more negative.
- leisurely
- Suggests a relaxed pace that is chosen on purpose.
- unhurried
- Means calm and without rush.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: slow or slowly?
slow vs slowly
Slowly is the usual adverb; slow as an adverb is informal and found mostly in set phrases.
Practice
Which sentence uses slow as a verb?
Choose one answer.
In the second sentence slow takes an object (the trains) and so is a verb. In the others it is an adjective or adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.