slough
1 of 4noun (1)
ˈslü 
ˈslau̇;
in the US (except in New England) is usual for sense 1 with those to whom the sense is familiar ˈslü;
British usually for both senses ˈslau̇
1
a
: a place of deep mud or mire
b or less commonly slew or slue
ˈslü
(1)
: swamp
(2)
: an inlet on a river
also : backwater
(3)
: a creek in a marsh or tide flat
2
: a state of moral degradation or spiritual dejection
sloughy adjective
ˈslü-ē
ˈslau̇-ē slough
2 of 4verb (1)
sloughed; sloughing; sloughs
transitive verb
: to engulf in a slough
intransitive verb
: to plod through or as if through mud : slog
slough
3 of 4noun (2)
ˈsləf
variants or less commonly sluff
1
: the cast-off skin of a snake
2
: a mass of dead tissue separating from an ulcer
3
: something that may be shed or cast off
slough
4 of 4verb (2)
ˈsləf
variants or less commonly sluff
sloughed also sluffed; sloughing also sluffing; sloughs also sluffs
intransitive verb
1
a
: to become shed or cast off
b
: to cast off one's skin
c
: to separate in the form of dead tissue from living tissue
2
: to crumble slowly and fall away
transitive verb
1
: to cast off
2
a
: to get rid of or discard as irksome, objectionable, or disadvantageous —usually used with off
b
: to dispose of (a losing card in bridge) by discarding
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- bog
- fen
- marsh
- marshland
- mire
- moor
- morass
- muskeg
- swamp
- swampland
- wash
- wetland
Verb (1)
- barge
- clump
- flog [British]
- flounder
- galumph
- lumber
- lump
- plod
- pound
- scuff
- scuffle
- shamble
- shuffle
- slog
- stamp
- stomp
- stumble
- stump
- tramp
- tromp
- trudge
Verb (2)
- exfoliate
- molt
- shed
- slip
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English sloughe, slo, from Old English slōh; akin to Middle High German slouche ditch
Noun (2)
Middle English slughe; akin to Middle High German slūch snakeskin
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (1)
1846, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun (2)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb (2)
1720, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Phrases Containing slough
Kids Definition
slough
noun
ˈslü
ˈslau̇
: a wet marshy or muddy place
Medical Definition
slough 1 of 2
noun
ˈsləf
: dead tissue separating from living tissue
especially : a mass of dead tissue separating from an ulcer
slough
2 of 2intransitive verb
: to separate in the form of dead tissue from living tissue
dermal sloughing
transitive verb
: to cast off
slough dead tissue
the uterine lining is sloughed
Geographical Definition
Slough
geographical name
ˈslau̇
town in Berkshire, southeast central England, west of London population 155,000
sloughing 1 of 2
verb (1)
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily the unpleasant task of sloughing through the muck to retrieve the ball Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- shuffling
- stomping
- stumbling
- hauling
- clumping
- dragging
- trudging
- scuffing
- lurching
- floundering
- tramping
- slogging
- shambling
- barging
- plodding
- weaving
- stamping
- pounding
- flogging
- scuffling
- galumphing
- lumbering
- lumping
- stumping
- tromping
- flopping
- staggering
- swaying
- waddling
- blundering
- tottering
- wobbling
- wabbling
- teetering
- reeling
- doddering
- careening
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sliding
- gliding
- coasting
- floating
- drifting
- hanging
- whisking
- waltzing
- hovering
- breezing
- wafting
- poising
sloughing
2 of 2verb (2)
variants also sluffing
as in shedding
to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside the snake is sloughing its old skin Synonyms & Similar Words
- shedding
- slipping
- peeling
- scaling
- exfoliating
- molting
- discarding
- unloading
- flaking
- ditching
- jettisoning
- scrapping
- chucking
- junking
- throwing away
- throwing out
- flinging (off or away)
- shucking (off)