Meaning & use
slowpoke
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Meaning
nouncountableinformal
A person who moves or acts more slowly than others, often said playfully.
Grammar: Countable noun: use 'a slowpoke' for one person and 'slowpokes' for more than one.
Patterns
- a slowpoke
- be such a slowpoke
- call someone a slowpoke
Come on, slowpoke—we're going to miss the bus!
My little brother is a slowpoke when we walk to school.
Don't be a slowpoke; everyone else has already finished lunch.
Word forms
| plural | slowpokes |
|---|
Common combinations
- such a slowpoke
- You're such a slowpoke—hurry up!
- call someone a slowpoke
- He called me a slowpoke, but I was just being careful.
- a real slowpoke
- When it comes to texting back, I'm a real slowpoke.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sluggish
- Use 'sluggish' for a person or thing that is slow and lacking energy; it is an adjective, not a noun.
- laggard
- 'Laggard' is also a noun for a slow person, but it sounds more formal and critical than 'slowpoke'.
- dawdler
- 'Dawdler' means someone who wastes time, while 'slowpoke' is gentler and often affectionate.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: slowpoke or slow coach?
slowpoke vs slow coach
'Slow coach' is a British variant with the same meaning; 'slowpoke' is the usual American form.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Slowpoke' is a countable noun, so it needs 'a' before it: 'a slowpoke'. The phrase 'when he walks' is natural, while 'at walking' and 'to walk' do not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slowpoke”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.