单词

slow

释义

slow

adjective

/sləʊ/

(comparative slower, superlative slowest)

Idioms

jump to other results

not fast

not moving, acting or done quickly; taking a long time; not fast

a slow pace/speed
Average earnings are rising at their slowest rate for 20 years.
a slow driver
Progress was slower than expected.
The country is experiencing slow but steady economic growth.
Collecting data is a painfully slow process.
Oh you're so slow; come on, hurry up!
a slow, lingering death
The slow movement opens with a cello solo.
For the third game in a row City made a slow start.
She gave a slow smile.

Extra Examples

Genetic evolution is necessarily slow.
I was considerably slower than the other drivers.
My computer is noticeably slower than before.
She is showing a slow and steady improvement in her reading ability.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
prove
seem
…

adverb

extremely
fairly
very
…

preposition

phrases

slow and steady

See full entry

not going or allowing you to go at a fast speed

I missed the fast train and had to get the slow one (= the one that stops at all the stations).

with delay

hesitating to do something or not doing something immediately

slow to do something She wasn't slow to realize what was going on.
The world's governments have been slow to respond to global environmental challenges.
slow in doing something Some insurance companies are particularly slow in processing claims.
His poetry was slow in achieving recognition.
The company has been too slow in upgrading its computer systems.
slow doing something They were very slow paying me.

Extra Examples

He was noticeably slow to respond.
They are extremely slow at reaching decisions.

not clever

not quick to learn; finding things hard to understand

He's the slowest in the class.

Topics Personal qualitiesb1

not busy

not very busy; containing little action synonym sluggish

Sales are slow (= not many goods are being sold).
There are slow passages in which little happens, but they help to build up the suspense.

watch/clock

[not before noun] showing a time earlier than the correct time

My watch is five minutes slow (= it shows 1.45 when it is 1.50).

in photography

slow film is not very sensitive to light

Word OriginOld English slāw ‘slow-witted, sluggish’, of Germanic origin.

Idioms

be quick/slow on the uptake

(informal) to be quick/slow to understand something
- Is he always this slow on the uptake?

do a slow burn

(North American English, informal) to slowly get angry

quick/slow off the mark

fast/slow in reacting to a situation
- If you’re quick off the mark in answering these questions, you could win a prize.
- The government was slow off the mark in responding to the crisis.

slow

verb

/sləʊ/

[intransitive, transitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they slow	/sləʊ/ /sləʊ/
he / she / it slows	/sləʊz/ /sləʊz/
past simple slowed	/sləʊd/ /sləʊd/
past participle slowed	/sləʊd/ /sləʊd/
-ing form slowing	/ˈsləʊɪŋ/ /ˈsləʊɪŋ/

jump to other results

to go or to make something/somebody go at a slower speed or be less active
- Economic growth has slowed a little.
- The bus slowed to a halt.
- He has been slowed by a knee injury.
- slow down The car slowed down as it approached the junction.
- indications that the US economy is slowing down
- You must slow down (= work less hard) or you'll make yourself ill.
- slow up The game slowed up a little in the second half.
- slow somebody/something Economic data for last month shows steps taken by the government are slowing growth.
- We hope to slow the spread of the disease.
- slow somebody/something down/up The ice on the roads was slowing us down.
- He accuse the government of intentionally slowing down the process.
- Sending this file over the network to the printer may slow up the whole network.
see also slowdown
Extra Examples
- Slow down a little!
- Time seemed to slow down as she fell.
- I was nearing West Road when the traffic slowed to a crawl.
- The flow of people into the building slowed to a trickle.
- The two of them had slowed almost to a stop.
- Sales have slowed down quite markedly.
- Bill slowed his pace to allow her to catch up with him.
- Rachel tried to slow her breathing.
- She very deliberately slowed her steps.
- The roadblocks hardly slowed them at all.
Topics Transport by car or lorryb1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- considerably
- dramatically
- markedly
- …
verb + slow
- begin to
- try to
- be expected to
- …
phrases
- slow to a crawl
- slow to a snail’s pace
- slow to a walk
- …
See full entry
Word OriginOld English slāw ‘slow-witted, sluggish’, of Germanic origin.

slow

adverb

/sləʊ/

(slower, slowest)

used especially in the comparative and superlative forms, or in compoundsIdioms

jump to other results

at a slow speed synonym slowly
- Could you go a little slower?
- slow-drying paint
- slow-moving traffic
- (North American English) Drive slow!
Which Word? slow / slowly
slow / slowly
- Slowly is the usual adverb from the adjective slow. Slow is sometimes used as an adverb in informal language, on road signs, etc. It can also be used to form compounds:
  Slow. Major road ahead.
  a slow-acting drug
  In the comparative both slower and more slowly are used:
  Can you speak slower/more slowly?
Word OriginOld English slāw ‘slow-witted, sluggish’, of Germanic origin.

Idioms

go slow (on something)

to show less enthusiasm for achieving something
- The government is going slow on tax reforms.