Skip to the word

Added 10 October 2026

slouch

/ˈslaʊ̯t͡ʃ/ noun

Latin root: laxus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about slouch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A hanging down of the head; a drooping posture; a limp appearance.
He sat with an unenthusiastic slouch.
Any depression or hanging down, as of a hat brim.
The plant hung in a permanent slouch.
Someone who is slow to act.

verb

To hang or droop; to adopt a limp posture
Do not slouch when playing a flute.
To walk in a clumsy, lazy manner.
I slouched to the fridge to see if there was anything to eat.
To cause to hang down or droop; to depress.

Origin

Unclear. Perhaps from Middle English slugge, from Old Norse slókr (“lazy fellow”). See also Swedish sloka (“to slouch, wilt”), related to Swedish slak (“slack, soft and flexible”) and Latin laxus (“loose, slack”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word