slew

1 of 4

noun

ˈslü

Synonyms of slew next

: a large number

a slew of books

slew

2 of 4

past tense of slay

slew

3 of 4

verb

ˈslü

variants or less commonly slue

slewed also slued; slewing also sluing; slews also slues

transitive verb

: to turn (something, such as a telescope or a ship's spar) about a fixed point that is usually the axis

: to cause to skid : veer

slew a car around a turn

intransitive verb

: to turn, twist, or swing about : pivot

: skid

slew

4 of 4

less common spelling of slough entry 1 sense 1b

Did you know?

Slew appeared as an American colloquialism in the early 19th century. Its origins are unclear, but it is perhaps taken from the Irish slua, a descendant of Old Irish slúag, meaning "army," "host," or "throng." Slew has several homographs (words that are spelled alike but different in meaning, derivation, or pronunciation) in English. These include: slew as the past tense of the verb slay; slew as a spelling variant of slough, a word which is also commonly pronounced \SLOO\ and which means "swamp," "an inlet on a river," or "a creek in a marsh or tide flat"; and the verb slew, meaning "to turn, veer, or skid."

Examples of slew in a Sentence

Noun He has written a slew of books. we still have a slew of work to do on this project Verb He slewed the telescope three degrees south.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

Also, on her special day, Newport showcased a slew of different wedding-day looks. —

Bailey Richards, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024 Every year, from fall to spring, Miami unveils a slew of new restaurants. —

Melinda Sheckells, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024

Verb

Scandinavian gods and heroes such as Beowulf often slew them in the course of their duties protecting weaker people. —

Kelly Devries, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2012 The telescope has, in fact, relied on a version of the one-gyro mode for all its science observations since 2021, using three gyros for slewing to a target, then stabilizing its view via a single gyro and a fine guidance sensor once data collection begins. —

Lee Billings, Scientific American, 5 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for slew

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from Irish slua army, host, throng, from Old Irish slúag; akin to Lithuanian slaugyti to tend

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1839, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1769, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of slew was circa 1769

See more words from the same year

Podcast

Cite this Entry

Style

“Slew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slew. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

slew

1 of 4

ˈslü

past of slay

slew

2 of 4

variant of slough entry 1 sense 1

slew

3 of 4 verb

variants also slue

: to turn, twist, or swing about especially out of a course : veer

slew

4 of 4 noun

: a large number

Last Updated: 25 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

scintilla

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

slew

noun

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Examples of slew in a Sentence

Word History

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near slew

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition