Slacken

Pronunciation: /slækən/

Definitions of slacken

verb to make or become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; slow down or lessen

Example Sentences

A1 I asked him to slacken his grip on the rope.

A2 The traffic began to slacken as we approached the outskirts of the city.

B1 The company decided to slacken its production schedule in order to avoid overstocking.

B2 The tension in the room seemed to slacken as soon as the meeting started.

C1 She could feel the pressure slacken as the project deadline was extended.

C2 The government's grip on the economy began to slacken as new policies were implemented.

Examples of slacken in a Sentence

formal The manager instructed the team to slacken their pace in order to avoid making mistakes.

informal Hey, can you slacken a bit on the deadlines? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

slang Dude, you need to totally slacken off and chill out for a bit.

figurative As the tension in the room began to slacken, everyone felt a sense of relief.

Grammatical Forms of slacken

• past tense: slackened
• plural: slackens
• comparative: more slack
• superlative: most slack
• present tense: slacken
• future tense: will slacken
• perfect tense: have slackened
• continuous tense: is slackening
• singular: slacken
• positive degree: slacken
• infinitive: to slacken
• gerund: slackening
• participle: slackening

Origin and Evolution of slacken

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The word 'slacken' originated from Middle English 'slaken' which came from Old English 'slaecan' meaning to become less active or intense.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'slacken' has retained its original meaning of becoming less active or intense, but has also taken on additional connotations of loosening or reducing tension in various contexts.