slacken
/ˈslak(ə)n
/verb
1Make or become slack: [with object]: he slackened his grip [no object]: suddenly the line slackens and flutters in the wind...
- She had slackened off her seat belt slightly to allow her to turn towards Knowles and plead with him.
- I slackened off the pressure slightly, encouraging the skate to dive, which it did.
- Cael felt the grip on him suddenly slacken as the weapon implanted itself in the man's chest.
Synonyms
loosen, make looser, release, relax, loose;
lessen, reduce, weaken
Nautical, dated veer
2Reduce or decrease in speed or intensity: [no object]: the pace never slackens...
- Even in training you have to be on your toes, you can't be slackening off with the squad we have.
- The river flow was slackening off now, but the bites continued.
- There is no sign of the pace slackening off, with the total for the first five months of 2003 up by a substantial 13.8 per cent.
Synonyms
become/get/make slower, slow down, slow, decelerate, reduce in speed, slack
decrease, lessen, subside, ease up/off, get less, let up, abate, moderate, become less intense, slack off, diminish, dwindle, die down, fall off, drop off, taper off, ebb, recede, wane
