Slacks - English meaning

verb

(of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread.

Usage examples:

The storm suddenly abated

verb

To become less strong

Usage examples:

The storm/wind/rain has started to abate., the fighting in the area shows no sign of abating.

verb

Separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.

Usage examples:

The branch broke with a loud snap

noun

An interruption of continuity or uniformity.

Usage examples:

The magazine has been published without a break since 1950

noun

Former term for breaking cart.

noun

A person or animal that breathes in a particular way.

Usage examples:

A heavy breather

noun

A short rest

Usage examples:

He'd been working hard and felt he needed (to take) a breather.

verb

Make or become smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree.

Usage examples:

The population of the area has decreased radically

noun

An instance or example of becoming smaller or fewer.

Usage examples:

A decrease in births

verb

To become smaller or make something less

Usage examples:

[ i ] car sales decreased sharply this year., i haven’t noticed any decrease in ticket sales.

verb

Make or become less.

Usage examples:

The new law is expected to diminish the government's chances

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size or importance

Usage examples:

[ i ] the threat of inflation is diminishing., [ t ] a single-payer system would diminish the burea…

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size, importance, or value

Usage examples:

If consumers start losing confidence, it will diminish demand for household goods., investors can d…

verb

Perform (an action, the precise nature of which is often unspecified).

Usage examples:

Very little work has been done in this field

noun

Used before a verb (except be, can, may, ought, shall, will ) in questions and negative statements.

Usage examples:

Do you have any pets?

noun

Variant spelling of doh1.

verb

Diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength.

Usage examples:

Traffic has dwindled to a trickle

verb

To become less in number or smaller

Usage examples:

The community had dwindled to a tenth of its former size.

verb

To gradually become less, smaller, or lower in level

Usage examples:

Dwindle from sth to sth the municipality's population has dwindled from 40,000 to 24,000., dwindlin…

noun

The movement of the tide out to sea.

Usage examples:

The tide was on the ebb

verb

(of tidewater) move away from the land; recede.

Usage examples:

The tide began to ebb

verb

When the sea or tide ebbs, it moves away from the coast and falls to a lower level.

phrasal verb

Come off

phrasal verb

To become less in number, amount, or quality

Usage examples:

Production fell off last month.

phrasal verb

To get lower in amount or level

Usage examples:

Orders have definitely fallen off in the past quarter., a fall-off in sth the company blamed the fa…

verb

Freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone).

Usage examples:

She gave him presents and clothes

noun

Capacity to bend or alter in shape under pressure.

Usage examples:

Plastic pots that have enough give to accommodate the vigorous roots

Transfer possession of something concrete or abstract

noun

A pause or break in continuity in a sequence or activity.

Usage examples:

There was a brief hiatus in the war with france

noun

A short pause in which nothing happens, or a space where something no longer is

Usage examples:

Peace talks resumed this week after a five-month hiatus.

adjective

(of a person) avoiding work; lazy.

Usage examples:

Idle students

verb

Spend time doing nothing.

Usage examples:

Four men were idling outside the shop

adjective

Not working, not active, or doing nothing

Usage examples:

Idle factories, the machines are standing idle because there are no spare parts., idle speculation,…

noun

An intervening time.

Usage examples:

After his departure, there was an interval of many years without any meetings

noun

A period between two events or times, or the space between two points

Usage examples:

If there is a fire, the alarm will sound at 15-second intervals., we’ve positioned guards around th…

verb

Make or become less; diminish.

Usage examples:

The years have lessened the gap in age between us

verb

To become or make something smaller in amount or degree

Usage examples:

[ t ] keeping your weight down can lessen the risk of heart disease.

verb

To make something smaller, less noticeable, etc., or to become smaller, less noticeable, etc.

Usage examples:

Corporate executives are keen to embrace "green technology" in order to lessen their dependence on …

idiom

Become less in amount or intensity

phrasal verb

(of something undesirable) become less intense.

Usage examples:

The rain's letting up—it'll be clear soon

phrasal verb

(esp. of something unpleasant) to become less strong or stop

Usage examples:

When the rain lets up we’ll go for a walk.

noun

The fact that something is not firmly held in place

verb

Calm or send to sleep, typically with soothing sounds or movements.

Usage examples:

The rhythm of the boat lulled her to sleep

noun

A temporary interval of quiet or lack of activity.

Usage examples:

For two days there had been a lull in the fighting

verb

To cause someone to feel calm, sleepy, or safe

Usage examples:

The music lulled the infant to sleep., we were all lulled into thinking they wouldn't do anything.,…

adjective

Average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree.

Usage examples:

We walked at a moderate pace

noun

A person who holds moderate views, especially in politics.

Usage examples:

An unlikely alliance of radicals and moderates

verb

Make or become less extreme, intense, rigorous, or violent.

Usage examples:

I shall not moderate my criticism

verb

Interrupt action or speech briefly.

Usage examples:

She paused, at a loss for words

noun

A temporary stop in action or speech.

Usage examples:

She dropped me outside during a brief pause in the rain

verb

Cease an action temporarily

verb

Engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.

Usage examples:

The children were playing by a pool

noun

Activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children.

Usage examples:

A child at play may use a stick as an aeroplane

verb

Engage in recreational activities rather than work

verb

Go or move back or further away from a previous position.

Usage examples:

The floodwaters had receded

verb

Make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Usage examples:

The need for businesses to reduce costs

verb

Make smaller

verb

To make something less in size, amount, degree, importance, or price

Usage examples:

A low-fat diet can reduce the risk of heart disease., grunn employs 17,900 people, but that number …

verb

Make or become less tense or anxious.

Usage examples:

He relaxed and smiled confidently

verb

Make less taut

verb

To become or cause someone to become calm and comfortable, and not worried or nervous, or to become or cause a muscle or the body to become less tight

Usage examples:

[ i ] she saw a need for a downtown club where women could relax., [ t ] this exercise will help yo…

noun

A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

Usage examples:

The refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering

verb

Postpone (a sentence, obligation, etc.).

Usage examples:

The execution was only respited a few months

noun

A pause or rest from something difficult or unpleasant

Usage examples:

[ c usually sing ] the center provides a respite for teens in trouble.

verb

Avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility).

Usage examples:

I do not shirk any responsibility in this matter

noun

A person who shirks.

Usage examples:

His status as a shirk would normally render him somewhat of a pariah.

verb

Avoid work or a duty by staying away or leaving early; shirk.

Usage examples:

I skived off school

noun

An instance of avoiding work or a duty by staying away or leaving early.

Usage examples:

‘i decided to give blood because it was a good skive out of the railway and after you'd donated you…

verb

Pare (the edge of a piece of leather or other material) so as to reduce its thickness.

Usage examples:

To join two ends of a strap, the ends are skived

verb

Make or become slack.

Usage examples:

He slackened his grip

verb

Become slow or slower

verb

To loosen something, or to become loose

Usage examples:

[ i ] his muscles slackened under the steaming shower., [ t ] let’s slacken our pace a little.

adjective

Moving or operating, or designed to do so, only at a low speed; not quick or fast.

Usage examples:

Until recently diesel cars were slow and noisy

adverb

At a slow pace; slowly.

Usage examples:

The train went slower and slower

verb

Reduce one's speed or the speed of a vehicle or process.

Usage examples:

The train slowed to a halt

verb

Become less intense, violent, or severe.

Usage examples:

I'll wait a few minutes until the storm subsides

verb

(of a condition) to become less strong, or (of an activity or disagreement) to become less violent

Usage examples:

When her pain didn’t subside, matt drove her to the hospital., friction between the groups subsided…

idiom

To relax and not work too hard

Usage examples:

My doctor told me to take things easy for a while.

verb

(of the moon) have a progressively smaller part of its visible surface illuminated, so that it appears to decrease in size.

Usage examples:

Tory tried to see her reflection, but the moon was waning, the stars obscured by clouds.

noun

The amount by which a plank or log is bevelled or falls short of a squared shape.

Usage examples:

I cut the log into slabs without removing the outside wane