slouch
Americanverb (used without object)
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to sit or stand with an awkward, drooping posture.
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to move or walk with loosely drooping body and careless gait.
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to have a droop or downward bend, as a hat.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to droop or bend down, as the shoulders or a hat.
noun
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a drooping or bending forward of the head and shoulders; an awkward, drooping posture or carriage.
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an awkward, clumsy, or slovenly person.
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a lazy, inept, or inefficient person.
verb
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(intr) to sit or stand with a drooping bearing
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(intr) to walk or move with an awkward slovenly gait
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(tr) to cause (the shoulders) to droop
noun
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a drooping carriage
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informal (usually used in negative constructions) an incompetent or slovenly person
he's no slouch at football
Other Word Forms
- sloucher noun
- slouching adjective
- slouchingly adverb
- unslouched adjective
- unslouching adjective
Etymology
Origin of slouch
First recorded in 1505–15; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
ExpressVPN’s streaming performance might be difficult to beat, but NordVPN is no slouch in that area either.
From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026
I slouch in my seat; he, for almost the whole hourlong conversation, sits on the edge of his.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
With a recently reported $350 billion valuation, Anthropic is smaller than OpenAI, but it’s no slouch.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025
Dell Curry was no slouch, averaging 11.7 points and earning $19.8 million over a 16-year NBA career that ended in 2002.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025
He carried his black slouch hat in his hand.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
