- a hollow filled with mud; bog
- /sluː/ US Canadian
- (in the prairies) a large hole where water collects or the water in such a hole
- (on the Pacific coast) a marshy saltwater inlet
- despair or degradation
ˈsloughy adj
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
slough1 /slaʊ/USA pronunciation
n.
slough2 /slʌf/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
v.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [countable] an area of soft, muddy ground;
a swamp or swamplike region. - [uncountable] a condition of despair or humiliation.
slough2 /slʌf/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
- Pathologya layer of dead tissue that drops off the surrounding or underlying tissue.
v.
- to (cause to) be shed or cast off, as the outer skin of a snake: [no object;
(~ + off)]A snake's skin sloughs (off) every few months.[~ (+ off) + object]The snake sloughs (off) its skin. - slough off, [~ + off + object] to dispose or get rid of:to slough off a bad habit.
slough1
(slou for 1, 2, 4; slo̅o̅ for 3),USA pronunciation n.
slough2 (sluf ),USA pronunciation n.
v.i.
v.t.
slough′i•ness, n.
slough′y, adj.
- an area of soft, muddy ground;
swamp or swamplike region. - a hole full of mire, as in a road.
- British Terms, Dialect TermsAlso, slew, slue. [Northern U.S.]and Canadian. a marshy or reedy pool, pond, inlet, backwater, or the like.
- a condition of degradation, despair, or helplessness.
- bef. 900; Middle English; Old English slōh; cognate with Middle Low German slōch, Middle High German sluoche ditch
slough2 (sluf ),USA pronunciation n.
- the outer layer of the skin of a snake, which is cast off periodically.
- Pathologya mass or layer of dead tissue separated from the surrounding or underlying tissue.
- anything that is shed or cast off.
- Games[Cards.]a discard.
v.i.
- to be or become shed or cast off, as the slough of a snake.
- to cast off a slough.
- Pathologyto separate from the sound flesh, as a slough.
- Games[Cards.]to discard a card or cards.
v.t.
- to dispose or get rid of;
cast (often fol. by off):to slough off a bad habit. - to shed as or like a slough.
- Games[Cards.]to discard (cards).
- slough over, to treat as slight or trivial:to slough over a friend's mistake.
- 1250–1300; Middle English slughe, slouh skin of a snake; cognate with German Schlauch skin, bag
slough′y, adj.
- 6. molt.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
slough /slaʊ/ n
ˈsloughy adj
ˈsloughy adj
slough /slʌf/ n any outer covering that is shed, such as the dead outer layer of the skin of a snake, the cellular debris in a wound, etc vb
- (often followed by off) to shed (a skin, etc) or (of a skin, etc) to be shed
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Slough /slaʊ/ n
- an industrial town in SE central England, in Slough unitary authority, Berkshire; food products, high-tech industries. Pop: 126 276 (2001)
- a unitary authority in SE central England, in Berkshire. Pop: 118 800 (2003 est). Area: 28 sq km (11 sq miles)
'slough' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):