Slew — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Meaning & Definition of Slew

Slew (noun)

a large number

Slew (verb)

to turn (something, such as a telescope or a ship's spar) about a fixed point that is usually the axis
to cause to skid, veer
to turn, twist, or swing about, pivot

Slew (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

a considerable amount

"we still have a slew of work to do on this project"

similar: abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, heap, hundred, lashings (chiefly British), loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, multiplicity, myriad, oodles, pack, passel, peck, pile, plateful, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, pot, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams, scads, sheaf, shipload, sight, spate, stack, store, ton, truckload, volume, wad, wealth, yard, all kinds (of), quite a bit

related: epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host, legion, mob, multitude, press, score, sea, swarm, throng, gazillion, jillion, kazillion, million, thousands, trillion, zillion

opposite: ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste, touch, trace

near: atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section, absence, dearth, famine, lack, paucity, poverty, scarceness, scarcity, shortage, undersupply, want, deficiency, deficit, inadequacy, insufficiency, meagerness, scantiness, scantness, skimpiness

Slew (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

to deprive of life

"millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease"

similar: carried off, claimed, croaked (slang), destroyed, did in, dispatched, felled, killed, took, did away with, did for (chiefly British), made away with

related: bumped off, butchered, cut down, finished, got, iced (slang), knocked off, murdered, neutralized, offed (slang), put away, rubbed out, scragged, snuffed, took out, wasted, whacked (slang), annihilated, blotted out, decimated, killed off, massacred, mowed, slaughtered, smote, assassinated, executed, martyred, terminated, euthanized, put down, suicided

opposite: animated

near: raised, restored, resurrected, resuscitated, revived, nurtured
to put to death deliberately

"vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family"

similar: assassinated, bumped off, croaked (slang), did in, dispatched, executed, got, iced (slang), knocked off, liquidated, murdered, neutralized, offed (slang), put away, rubbed out, snuffed, terminated, took out, whacked (slang), did away with

related: blew away, shot, shot down, blotted out, carried off, claimed, cut down, destroyed, felled, killed, smote, zapped, butchered, massacred, mowed (down), slaughtered, annihilated, eliminated, eradicated, exterminated, wiped out

near: animated, raised, restored, resurrected, resuscitated, revived

Related Entry: Slough (noun)

Slough is a different word from Slew. The synonyms below are for slough, not for slew.

spongy land saturated or partially covered with water

"the land for miles around the lake is strewn with ponds, sloughs, and mudflats"

similar: bog, fen, marsh, marshland, mire, moor, morass, muskeg, swamp, swampland, wash, wetland

related: swale, quagmire, guck, muck, mud, ooze, slime, slop, sludge, slush

Related Entry: Slay (verb)

Slay is a different word from Slew. The synonyms below are for slay, not for slew.

to deprive of life

"millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease"

similar: carry off, claim, croak (slang), destroy, dispatch, do in, fell, kill, take, do away with, do for (chiefly British), make away with

related: bump off, butcher, cut down, finish, get, ice (slang), knock off, murder, neutralize, off (slang), put away, rub out, scrag, snuff, take out, waste, whack (slang), annihilate, blot out, decimate, kill off, massacre, mow, slaughter, smite, assassinate, execute, martyr, terminate, euthanize, put down, suicide

opposite: animate

near: raise, restore, resurrect, resuscitate, revive, nurture
to put to death deliberately

"vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family"

similar: assassinate, bump off, croak (slang), dispatch, do in, execute, get, ice (slang), knock off, liquidate, murder, neutralize, off (slang), put away, rub out, snuff, take out, terminate, whack (slang), do away with

related: blow away, shoot, shoot down, blot out, carry off, claim, cut down, destroy, fell, kill, smite, zap, butcher, massacre, mow (down), slaughter, annihilate, eliminate, eradicate, exterminate, wipe out

near: animate, raise, restore, resurrect, resuscitate, revive

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Slew

The most common words with a similar meaning to Slew:

Slang: croaked, iced, offed, whacked

Chiefly British: lashings, did for

abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload, chunk, deal, dozen, fistful, gobs, good deal, heap, hundred, loads, lot, mass, mess, mountain, much, multiplicity, myriad, oodles, pack, passel, peck, pile, plateful, plenitude, plentitude, plenty, pot, potful, profusion, quantity, raft, reams

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Slew

Words with the opposite meaning of Slew:

ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, lick, little, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, peanuts, pinch, pittance, scruple, shade, shadow, smidgen, speck, spot, sprinkle, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, tad, taste

Related Words for Slew

epidemic, plague, rash, bonanza, embarrassment, excess, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, plethora, redundancy, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus, deluge, flood, overflow, army, bevy, cram, crowd, crush, drove, flock, herd, horde, host

Near Antonyms of Slew

atom, crumb, dot, fleck, flyspeck, fragment, grain, granule, iota, jot, modicum, molecule, mote, nubbin, particle, ray, scintilla, scrap, shred, tittle, whit, smatter, smattering, dash, drop, morsel, shot, piece, portion, section

Word Forms of Slew

Inflections: slewed, slued, slewing, sluing, slews, slues

Origin & Etymology of Slew

perhaps from Irish slua army, host, throng, from Old Irish slúag; akin to Lithuanian slaugyti to tend

First known use: 1839

Frequently Asked Questions about Slew

What does "Slew" mean?

"Slew" means a large number. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a large number. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Slew"?

Other words for "Slew" include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle and bushel. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Slew" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Slew"?

There are 155 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Slew". Common alternatives include abundance, barrel, basketful, boatload, bucket, bunch, bundle, bushel, carload and chunk.

What is a slang word for "Slew"?

Slang words for "Slew" include croaked, iced, offed and whacked.

What is the opposite of "Slew"?

Antonyms of "Slew" include ace, bit, dab, dram, driblet, glimmer, handful and hint. Near antonyms include atom, crumb, dot and fleck.

How do you use "Slew" in a sentence?

Examples of "Slew" in a sentence: "we still have a slew of work to do on this project"; "millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease"; "vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family".

Is "Slew" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Slew" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Slew"?

"Slew" is pronounced /ˈslü/.