slouch
verb /slaʊtʃ/
/slaʊtʃ/
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they slouch | /slaʊtʃ/ /slaʊtʃ/ |
| he / she / it slouches | /ˈslaʊtʃɪz/ /ˈslaʊtʃɪz/ |
| past simple slouched | /slaʊtʃt/ /slaʊtʃt/ |
| past participle slouched | /slaʊtʃt/ /slaʊtʃt/ |
| -ing form slouching | /ˈslaʊtʃɪŋ/ /ˈslaʊtʃɪŋ/ |
- (+ adv./prep.) to stand, sit or move in a lazy way, often with your shoulders and head bent forward
- Several students were slouching against the wall.
- Sit up straight. Don't slouch.
- He slouched across the room and collapsed in a chair.
Word Originearly 16th cent. (in the sense ‘lazy, slovenly person’): of unknown origin. Slouching was used to mean ‘hanging down, drooping’ (specifically describing a hat with a brim hanging over the face), and ‘having an awkward posture’ from the 17th cent.