Slows

How to spell slows

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce slows

What does slows mean?

1. verbReduces speed, or causes something to move or progress at a lower rate.

Slows in a sentence

• Heavy traffic slows the morning commute to a crawl.

• The train slows noticeably as it approaches each station.

Where does slows come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is the present-tense form of the verb 'slow', which traces back to the Old English adjective 'slaw', meaning sluggish, dull, or lacking in speed. In its earliest use the word described not just a lack of physical pace but also a dull or slow-witted mind, a sense that still survives faintly today. The adjective gave rise to a verb meaning to make or become less rapid, and the spelling settled with the 'ow' digraph that English commonly uses for the long 'oh' sound, as in 'grow' and 'know'. The form 'slows' simply adds the regular third-person ending. It is worth noting that 'slows' sounds exactly like 'sloes', the small dark fruits of the blackthorn used in flavouring gin, so the two are easily confused in writing even though their origins are entirely separate.

How the word is built

• slow (from Old English slaw: sluggish, dull)
• -s (third person singular present)