slant

[ slant, slahnt ]

verb (used without object)

1. to veer or angle away from a given level or line, especially from a horizontal; slope.

   Synonyms: incline, lean

2. to have or be influenced by a subjective point of view, bias, personal feeling or inclination, etc. (usually followed by toward ).

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to slope.
2. to distort (information) by rendering it unfaithfully or incompletely, especially in order to reflect a particular viewpoint:

   He slanted the news story to discredit the Administration.

3. to write, edit, or publish for the interest or amusement of a specific group of readers:

   a story slanted toward young adults.

noun

1. slanting or oblique direction; slope:

   the slant of a roof.

   Synonyms: obliqueness, pitch, inclination, incline, obliquity

2. a slanting line, surface, etc.
3. virgule.
4. a mental leaning, bias, or distortion:

   His mind shows a curious slant.

5. viewpoint; opinion; attitude:

   Let him give you his slant.

6. Informal. a glance or look.
7. Also called angle. Journalism. the particular mood or vein in which something is written, edited, or published:

   His column always has a humorous slant.

8. Football.
   1. an offensive play in which the ball-carrier runs toward the line of scrimmage at an angle.
   2. Also called slant-in. a pass pattern in which a receiver cuts diagonally across the middle of the field.
9. Also called slant-eye [slant, -ahy, slahnt, -ahy]. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person from East Asia, especially a Chinese or Japanese person.

adjective

1. sloping; oblique:

   a slant roof; a slant approach.

slant

/ slɑːnt /

verb

1. to incline or be inclined at an oblique or sloping angle
2. tr to write or present (news, etc) with a bias
3. intrfoll bytowards (of a person's opinions) to be biased

noun

1. an inclined or oblique line or direction; slope
2. a way of looking at something
3. a bias or opinion, as in an article
4. a less technical name for solidus
5. on a slant or on the slant
   sloping

adjective

1. oblique, sloping

Sensitive Note

See slant-eyed.

Derived Forms

• ˈslanting, adjective
• ˈslantingly, adverb

Other Words From

• slanting·ly slantly adverb
• un·slanted adjective
• un·slanting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slant¹

First recorded in 1485–95; aphetic variant of aslant

Word History and Origins

Origin of slant¹

C17: short for aslant , probably of Scandinavian origin

Synonym Study

See slope.

Example Sentences

The two connected again on fourth and goal at the one-yard line as Cooke caught a quick slant to increase the Cougars’ lead to 21-8 with 11:30 left in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times

“I like to poke people,” said Biggers, sitting in the shade on a recent afternoon eating quiche at a restaurant, his cane, which helps him walk after a hip replacement, slanted on a chair.

From Los Angeles Times

Williams turned a short slant pass into a 96-yard touchdown in the first quarter, doing some high stepping to escape one final tackle attempt before securing the score.

From Los Angeles Times

What Wichita Falls does offer litigants of a certain ideological slant, however, is a one-judge federal court.

From Los Angeles Times

The coop had two small rooms and a slanted roof.

From New York Times

Related Words

• angle
• leaning
• point of view
• predisposition
• viewpoint