Slacken

Definition: Slacken

Slacken

Verb

1. Become slow or slower; "Production slowed".

2. Make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired".

3. Become looser or slack; "the rope slackened".

4. Make slack as by lessening tension or firmness.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "slacken" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1050. (references)

Mining

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Synonyms: Slacken

Coherence

Verb: make loose; Adjective: loosen, slacken, relax; unglue; detach; (disjoin).

Hindrance

Keep off, stave off, ward off; obviate; avert, antevert; turn aside, draw off, prevent, forefend, nip in the bud; retard, slacken, check, let; counteract, countercheck; preclude, debar, foreclose, estop; inhibit; shackle; (restrain); restrict.

Moderation

Tranquilize, pacify, assuage, appease, swag, lull, soothe, compose, still, calm, calm down, cool, quiet, hush, quell, sober, pacify, tame, damp, lay, allay, rebate, slacken, smooth, alleviate, rock to sleep, deaden, smooth, throw cold water on, throw a wet blanket over, turn off; slake; curb; (restrain); tame; (subjugate); smooth over; pour oil on the waves, pour oil on the troubled waters; pour balm into, mattre de l'eau dans son vin.

Repose

Relax, unbend, slacken; take breath; (refresh); rest upon one's oars; pause; (cease); stay one's hand.

Slowness

Retard, relax; slacken, check, moderate, rein in, curb; reef; strike sail, shorten sail, take in sail; put on the drag, apply the brake; clip the wings; reduce the speed; slacken speed, slacken one's pace; lose ground.

Crosswords: Slacken

When one has made a decision to kill a person, even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it will not do to think about doing it in a long, roundabout way. One's heart may slacken, he may miss his chance, and by and large there will be no success (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai; writing credit: Jim Jarmusch)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Fauchelevent slackened his pace, but could not slacken that of the hearse

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "slacken": slacken off ♦ slacken one's pace ♦ slacken speed. Additional references.

Albanian

shtendos (unbend), zvogëloj (abate, belittle, curtail, decrease, diminish, lessen, make smaller, minimize, mitigate, qualify, rebate, reduce, relax, relieve, scale down, take away, take in, take up, understate), pakësoj (abate, abridge, curtail, cut down, deflate, degrade, diminish, lessen, lower, narrow, pare, razee, reduce, retrench, understate, vitiate), ngadalësoj (decelerate, hold up, let down, loose, make slower, put back, retard, slack up), liroj (acquit, cast off, cheapen, detach, discharge, disengage, dismiss, ease, excuse, free, free oneself, let go, let loose, liberate, loose, loosen, pay, pay out, relax, release, slack, unbind, unstring, vacate). (various references)

Arabic 

‏توانى (dally, dawdle, delay, linger, loiter, lop, tarry), ‏تراخى (loosen, slack), ‏خفف السرعة, ‏إرتخى (sag), ‏أضعف (attenuate, break, debilitate, decay, decline, depress, detach, diminish, disable, emaciate, emasculate, enervate, enfeeble, fade, geld, hone, hurt, impair, incapacitate, invalidate, jellify, languish, lose weight, macerate, neutralize, pall, perish, reduce, run down, sag, sap, shorten, sink, slake, soften, subside, thin, waste, weaken), ‏أبطأ (ease up, go slow, slow down). (various references)

Bulgarian 

стихвам (drop, hush, lull, moderate, quiet, quiet down, quieten, sink, stand still, still, subside), охлабвам (ease up, loosen, relax), отпускам (allocate, allot, ease off, grant, issue, loosen, pay away, pay out, relax, release, slack, slouch, unbend, unbrace, unfasten, unleash, unrein, untuck, unwind), намалявам (abate, abbreviate, allay, attenuate, bring down, clip, contract, curtail, cut back, cut down, decline, decrease, deduct, deflate, degrade, deplete, detract, dim, diminish, ebb, extenuate, fine, impair, knock off, lessen, lighten, lull, minify, minimize, moderate, modify, pare down, prejudice, put back, put down, reduce, remit, run down, scant, shorten, shrink, sink, subdue, take from, thin, thin away, thin down, understate, wane, work down), затихвам (grow quiet, lull), забавям (arrest, cool, defer, delay, detain, hang up, hold back, hold off, hold over, inhibit, postpone, put back, put over, retard, set back, sidetrack, slow, slow down, stave off, steady). (various references)

Chinese 

松驰 (LAX, slack, Slackened, slackening, slacks), 弛 (loosen, relax, unstring a bow). (various references)

Czech

snížit se (come down, demean, lower, sag, slip, stoop), zmírnit (allay, alleviate, break, cushion, deaden, defuse, dilute, ease, extenuate, loosen, mitigate, palliate, relieve, remit, smooth, soften, soothe, subdue, temper, tone down, understate), zeslábnout (dim, fade, grow dim, grow feeble), uvolnit se (come adrift, loosen up, unbend, unbutton, unclench, unfasten, unfreeze, unwind, unyoke), povolit (allow, authorize, ease away, ease off, fail, give, give in, grant, permit, relent, sanction, yield), popustit, polevit (deteriorate, die down, drop, let up), ochabnout (become flabby, decline, decrease, fizzle out, flag, quail, sag). (various references)

Danish

slaekke (to slacken). (various references)

Dutch

slap gaan hangen (to slacken), lossen (release, unload). (various references)

Farsi 

نحیف کردن , کم شدن (Abate, Diminish, Dwindle, Wane), کندکردن (Blunt, Clog, Dull, Letup, Rebate, Sheath, Sheathe), سست کردن (Discourage, Enervate, Inactivate, Loosen, Weaken), اهسته کردن (Decelerate), شل کردن یاشدن (Unclench, Unclinch). (various references)

Finnish

veltostua (become slack), veltostaa (make slack, weaken), lamaantua (become paralyzed, grow dull), laimeta (become weak, flag, go flat, lose its strength, weaken), löyhtyä (come loose, get loose, loosen), löyhentää (loosen, relax), herpaantua (go limp), hellittää (ease, let go, loosen, relax, yield), hellitä (come loose, give way, loosen, relax, yield), höllentyä (get loose, relax), höllentää (loosen, make . . loose). (various references)

French

se relâcher (slack), relaxer, ralentir (go slow, slow down, slowdown), lâcher, dégager, affaiblir (slake). (various references)

German

nachlassen (abate, abatement, bequeath, decrease, deteriorate, die away, die down, dim, diminish, discount, drop, ease, ease off, ease up, fade, fail, failure, fall, flag, go, intermit, knock off, lessen, letup, loosen, moderate, rebate, reduce, relax, relaxation, relent, remit, respite, sink, slack off, slacken off, softening, subside, tail off, take off, to abandon ship, to abate, to ease up, to intermit, to slacken, wane, waver, weaken, wear off), lockern (fork over, inveigle, loose, loosen, loosen up, relax, slackening, weaken), entspannen (ease, relax, to relax, to slacken, unbend, unbent, uncock, untighten, wind down). (various references)

Greek 

κόβω (carve, chop, clip, cut, cut down, cut out, fell, nip, pluck, sever, shear), μολάρω (let go, loosen), χαλαρώνω (loosen, relax, unbend, unwind, wind down), χαλαρούμαι (flag, loosen, relax), λασκάρω (loosen, slack off). (various references)

Hebrew 

ל�"תרפות (loosen), ל�"חליש (abate, attenuate, deaden, detach, enervate, enfeeble, impair, weaken, wear down), ל�"אט (ease up, retard, slow, slow down), לרופף (loosen, weaken), לרפות (be weakened, loosen). (various references)

Hungarian

lazít (limber up, to limber up, to loosen up, to slack, to slacken, to veer, to veer away, to veer out), lassít (decelerate, delay, ease up, slow, slow down, to decelerate, to delay, to ease, to ease up, to retard, to slack, to slacken, to slacken the pace, to slow, to slow down, to slow up). (various references)

Indonesian

melarapkan (pay out (a rope)). (various references)

Italian

rilassare (abandon ship, abate, relax, unbend), rallentare (check, decelerate, die down, put back, reduce speed, slow, slow down), placarsi (blow over, subside), mollare (ease, give, give in, let go, pack in, release, stop), moderarsi (moderate, moderate oneself), diminuire (abate, Bate, decline, decrease, detract, diminish, drop, dwindle, fall, go, go down, lessen, reduce, relax, remit, sag, slump, wane, weaken, worsen), calare (cast off, come down, drop, ebb, fall, go down, let down, let oneself down, lose weight, lower, recede, sink, slack off, slump, subside, wane), allentarsi (loosen, relax, weaken), allentare (become slack, decelerate, loosen, relax, slow down, slowdown, weaken). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

緩む (to become loose, to slacken), 弛む (to loosen, to relax, to slacken). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

たるむ (to loosen, to relax, to slacken), ゆるむ (to become loose, to slacken). (various references)

Korean 

늦�"십시�". (various references)

Manx

skeaylley (bestrew, breed, cast loose, demobilization, diffract, diffuse, diffusion, disband, discharge, dismiss, dispel, disseminate, dissipate, dissipation, dissolution, dissolve, draw apart, drop away, leakage, liquidate, looseness, release, resolution, resolve, run out, scatter, scattering, scramble, slackening, slip, spread, spreading, spring, sprinkle, sprinkling, undoing, unfix, unfurl, unfurling), laggaghey (loosen, slack off, weaken, weaken as mixture). (various references)

Pig Latin

ackenslay.(various references)

Portuguese

soltar (cob, discharge from, drop, extricate, free, give off, give over, heave, let go, let loose, liberate, loose, loosen, open, release, relinquish, set free, set up, throw, unbend, unbind, unbrace, uncage, unchain, unclasp, undo, unfasten, unfetter, unfix, unhand, unleash, unlink, unshackle, unstrap, untwine, utter), tornar menos rígido, ficar mais lento, enfraquecer (abate, attenuate, decay, diminish, enervate, extenuate, fade, fail, faint, flag, flatten, impair, impoverish, jade, languish, peak, pine, rust, sap, undermine, waste, weaken), diminuir velocidade, alargar (amplify, broaden, ease, eke, enlarge, expand, extend, flare, let out, loosen, splay, widen), afrouxar (ease, let up, loose, loosen, relax, unbend, unbrace, unfix, weaken), abrandar (appease, attemper, calm down, deaden, decelerate, dilute, diminish, ease, extenuate, fall, flatten, mellow, mitigate, moderate, modify, mutate, pass off, quiet, reduce, relax, relent, relieve, season, slake, soothe, unbend, unbrace, voice). (various references)

Romanian

stagna (be at a standstill, languish, stagnate), stãvili (arrest, bar, barricade, block, dam up, delay, dike, embank, hinder, quench, refrain, restrain, retain, retard, shut, slug, stem), slãbi (abate, attenuate, Bate, crock, debilitate, depauperate, diminish, drain, droop, dull, ease, emaciate, emasculate, enfeeble, extenuate, fade, fail, flag, go down, grow weak, impair, languish, let, loosen, lose flesh, lose weight, macerate, mine, peak and pine, pinch, pull down, reduce, relax, sap, sink, slack, slenderize, slim, soften, subdue, subside, take the edge off, thin, undermine, weaken), se domoli (abate, ease, flatten, lull, quiet down, relent, soften, swoon), se destinde (rebound, relaxe, spring, unbend), tânji (flag, languish, pine, stagnate, wither, yearn), reduce (abate, abridge, ax, axe, bear down, bring, cancel out, contract, curtail, cut, decrease, derogate, detract, diminish, discount, draw in, drop, extenuate, fine down, knock down, knock off, lessen, lower, make good, narrow down, pare down, prune, recover, reduce, retrench, stint, stop, unbend, weaken), încetini (delay, let up, retard, slow). (various references)

Russian 

ослаблять (abate, allay, attenuate, debilitate, dilute, diminish, ease off, emasculate, enfeeble, extenuate, impair, loosen, reduce, relax, relieve, unbrace, unloose, weaken). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

usporiti (go slow, retard, slow, slow down, throw back), popustiti (cede, defer, ease up, give in, give way to, let up, relax, relent, remit, slack, unbrace), olabaviti (relax, set loose, unbrace, unfix, unloose), jenjati (let up). (various references)

Spanish

aflojar (abandon ship, abate, ease, fork out, let up, loose, loosen, lower, relax, relent, sink). (various references)

Swedish

slappna, slakna (flag, relax). (various references)

Thai

ทำให้หย่อน, หย่อน (nutant, slack). (various references)

Turkish

sakinleşmek (become tranquilized, calm down, compose oneself, cool down, hush, let one's hair down, let up, quiet, quiet down, quieten, resettle, simmer down, smooth, smooth down, still, subside), söndürmek (attenuate, damp, damp down, dampen, deflate, douse, dowse, extinguish, hydrate, kill, put out, quench, slack, slake, snuff out, suffocate, switch off, trample out, turn off, turn out), yavaşlatmak (decelerate, go slow, retard, slack, slow, slow down), yavaşlamak (decelerate, ease off, slack up, slow, slow down), tembellik etmek (be lazy, drone, fiddle-faddle, fribble, have a laze, laze, laze around, lounge, lounge about, slack, slack off, slug), laçka etmek (slack off, slack up), koyvermek (allow, let go, release, slack, slack up, unloose), hız kesmek (decelerate, slack up, slow down), gevşetmek (ease, enervate, let go, limber up, loosen, loosen up, relax, release, slack, slack off, slack up, start, unbend, unbrace, unfasten, ungird, unloose, unstring), gevşemek (come loose, come unstuck, cool down, ease off, fade, flag, get loose, go limp, languish, let go, let up, let upon, loosen, relax, slack, slack off, soften, unbend, unbrace oneself, unwind, work loose), durgunlaşmak (drag, languish, stagnate), boşlamak (ignore, let go, neglect). (various references)

Turkmen 

haяallamak (deteriorate, weaken). (various references)

Ukrainian

сповільнюватися (slow), сповільнювати (gear down, retard, slack, slow), ослабляти (abate, allay, attenuate, deaden, debilitate, depress, emasculate, enfeeble, extenuate, impair, infirm, let down, loosen, lower, overcome, relax, slack, subdue, unbind, water, weaken), зменшувати (abate, allay, alleviate, ax, axe, belittle, cut back, decrease, detract, diminish, dwindle, extenuate, lessen, minify, palliate, relax, turn down, whittle away), погіршуватися (break down, degenerate, degrade, disimprove, dwindle). (various references)

Welsh

llaesu (droop, flag, loosen, relax), llacio (loosen, relax). (various references)

calamus, calites, effuderim, effuderint, effuderis, effuderit, effuderitis, effudero, effuderunt, effudi, effudisti, effudit, effundam, effundant, effundas, effundatis, effundatur, effunde, effundebantque, effundebatur, effundendum, effundens, effundensque, effundent, effundentem, effundentes, effundentium, effunderem, effunderent, effundes, effundet, effundetur, effundi, effundit, effundite, effunditur, effundo, effusa, effusi, effuso, effusorum, effusum, effusus, elanguerunt, elangui, elanguit, laxare, lentesco, remittere, supereffundentia. (various references)

Derivations

Words beginning with "slacken": slackened, slackening, slackens. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Slacken" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: glackin, lacken, Siachen, slackine, slaken, slicen, soaken. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: ankles, clanks, cleans, lances.

-2 letters: acnes, alecs, ankle, cakes, calks, canes, clank, clans, clean, elans, kales, kanes, laces, lacks, lakes, lance, lanes, leaks, leans, necks, scale, scena, skean, slack, slake, slank, snack, snake, sneak, sneck.

-3 letters: aces, acne, alec, ales, anes, cake, calk, cane, cans, case, cask, cels, clan, elan, elks, kaes, kale.

+1 letter: blackens, crankles, slackens.

+2 letters: blackness, cracknels, necklaces, slackened, slackness, unshackle.

+3 letters: alpenstock, blackeners, blacksnake, canvaslike, cornflakes, kalanchoes, slackening, unshackled, unshackles.

+4 letters: alpenstocks, backslidden, blackenings, blacknesses, blacksnakes, candlestick, candlewicks, glucokinase, linebackers, shacklebone, shellacking, slacknesses, spinachlike, stickhandle, unshockable.

+5 letters: acknowledges, blackhanders, candlesticks, glucokinases, knuckleballs, knuckleheads, leathernecks, linebackings, racewalkings, shacklebones, shellackings, spacewalking, stickhandled, stickhandler, stickhandles.