- 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
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- at
- slow and steady
Definitions on the go
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- 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).
- 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 quick to learn; finding things hard to understand
- He's the slowest in the class.
- 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.
- [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).
- slow film is not very sensitive to light
not fast
with delay
not clever
not busy
watch/clock
in photography
Word OriginOld English slāw ‘slow-witted, sluggish’, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
See slow in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee slow in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe 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.
Check pronunciation:
slow