slouch
/slaʊtʃ
/verb
1 [no object, with adverbial] Stand, move, or sit in a lazy, drooping way: he slouched against the wall the lads slouched about the place resentfully (be slouched) he was slouched in his chair (as adjective slouching) a peculiar slouching gait...
- He stood slouched against one of the set's walls, his hands in his pockets and his feet crossed at the ankles.
- She demanded again, and poked Greg in the arm until he stopped slouching, moved up to the suit, and yanked off the helmet.
- In the best-known photograph of him, he slouches with one lazy hand on his rifle, sporting a squint that makes him seem none too bright.
Synonyms
slump, hunch;
loll, droop, sag, stoop
2 [with object] dated Bend one side of the brim of (a hat) downwards: a travelling hat slouched over his eyes
noun [in singular]
1A lazy, drooping posture or movement: his stance was a round-shouldered slouch...
- I have a slight slouch, but that shouldn't count against me, should it?
- Chris, who was already waiting there, removed his hands from behind his head and sat up, for he had been positioned in a lazy slouch.
- My back ached and for the first time, I recognized the slouch in my posture.
2 [usually with negative] informal An incompetent person: my brother was no slouch at making a buck he’s no slouch on the guitar...
- And big city police forces are no slouches either.
- And few of those hold a candle to magnificent Ms. Jones and her mighty Dap-Kings, a collective powerhouse on stage and no slouches in the studio either.
- The competition deserves a higher status than it has had in the past, because the clubs involved in it are certainly no slouches.
3A downward bend of a hat brim.
Origin
Early 16th century (in the sense 'lazy, slovenly person'): of unknown origin. Slouching was used to mean 'hanging down, drooping' (specifically describing a hat with a brim hanging over the face), and 'having an awkward posture' from the 17th century.