slashed; slashing; slashes
: to lash out, cut, or thrash about with or as if with an edged blade
1
: to cut with or as if with rough sweeping strokes
3
: to cut slits in (something, such as a garment) so as to reveal a color beneath
4
: to criticize cuttingly
5
: to reduce sharply : cut
1
: the act of slashing
also
: a long cut or stroke made by or as if by slashing
2
: an ornamental slit in a garment
3
a
: an open tract in a forest strewn with debris (as from logging)
b
: the debris in such a tract
4
: a mark / used typically to denote "or" (as in and/or), "and or" (as in straggler/deserter), or "per" (as in feet/second)
called also diagonal, slant, solidus, virgule
5
or slash fiction
: a genre of fan fiction which features a romantic pairing of two usually male fictional characters who are not romantically connected in the original work of fiction
If women are the prime producers of the stuff, one would imagine that slash would be as full of male-female fantasies as male-male fantasies, but that's not the case.—
Owen Smith
Owen SmithHere's a sampling of Harry Potter slash, taken from a novella called "Irresistible Poison," about a budding romance between Harry and his archenemy Draco Malfoy.—Christopher Noxon
Christopher NoxonI don't know whether Moody has read Kirk/Spock slash fiction, either, but I bet he's heard of it …—Elizabeth Hand
Elizabeth Hand
: a low swampy area often overgrown with brush
Synonyms
Examples of slash in a Sentence
Verb
Someone slashed his car's tires.
He threatened to slash the man's throat.
She slashed a path through the underbrush.
They slashed their way through the jungle.
The company has slashed prices to increase sales.
Funding for the program was slashed.
Noun (1)
made a slash in the fabric with a knife
Recent Examples on the WebPrarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 May 2024
Cleaning Up Their Act: The organizers of the Paris Olympics promise to slash greenhouse gas emissions by re-using historic buildings, adding bike lanes and even putting solar panels on the Seine.
—Jeré Longman, New York Times, 9 May 2024
Farmers slash and burn their land to prepare it for planting, creating harmful smoke and occasionally forest fires that carry across the region.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
Even better, Amazon has slashed $370 off of the regular price.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
More:Regulators want to slash credit card late fees to $8 from $32 average
More:Hidden junk fees from businesses can drive up costs.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 7 May 2024
In early 2023, CEO Bob Iger announced that 7,000 jobs would be cut across the company as part of a broader plan to slash costs and stabilize the company financially.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Their involvement in home equity loans would come as banks have slashed their participation following the financial crisis.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 May 2024
The Seals pulled one back on a power play goal from Dobbie and then drew within 6-4 when Berg slashed a shot home with 38.3 seconds left in the first half.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Monica Mendal, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2024
Amid slashes in content spend by most studios, tax incentives granted by film commissions to shoot in certain jurisdictions are becoming more vital than ever.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
One man held a picture of Trump’s face covered by a red slash.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
More:Loyal customer aggravated Ford wouldn’t adjust Lightning order, respond after price slash
More:Ford to dramatically cut hourly workforce at F-150 Lightning plant in Dearborn
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Crossbody bags similar in style to what celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift, and Oprah carry, totes, belt bags, backpacks, and wallets in pretty spring-ready hues and patterns have their slashes priced right now.
—Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The lid has been changed from the LED dot matrix of the past to a chic diagonal metallic slash.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Forty years ago, four men put on uniforms, came up with a catchy logo — a startled specter in a red circle with a slash going through it, no big whoop — strapped on some proton packs and saved New York City from an evil deity holed up in a penthouse.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
When the Broncos appeared as a 10 seed with a slash next to Colorado, indicating the play-in game Wednesday, there were gasps followed by eerie silence.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
Verb
Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni wants to slash the boar population by up to 80% over five years, to stop the wild animals spreading swine fever to domestic pigs.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 May 2024
Cleaning Up Their Act: The organizers of the Paris Olympics promise to slash greenhouse gas emissions by re-using historic buildings, adding bike lanes and even putting solar panels on the Seine.
—Jeré Longman, New York Times, 9 May 2024
Farmers slash and burn their land to prepare it for planting, creating harmful smoke and occasionally forest fires that carry across the region.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 9 May 2024
Even better, Amazon has slashed $370 off of the regular price.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 8 May 2024
More:Regulators want to slash credit card late fees to $8 from $32 average
More:Hidden junk fees from businesses can drive up costs.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 7 May 2024
In early 2023, CEO Bob Iger announced that 7,000 jobs would be cut across the company as part of a broader plan to slash costs and stabilize the company financially.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 7 May 2024
Their involvement in home equity loans would come as banks have slashed their participation following the financial crisis.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 May 2024
The Seals pulled one back on a power play goal from Dobbie and then drew within 6-4 when Berg slashed a shot home with 38.3 seconds left in the first half.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2024
Noun
Emblematic features of its past, like the traditional oil mill that stands like a sculpture in the lobby, have been lovingly preserved, while slashes of blue from the swimming pool nod to the property’s new life.
—Monica Mendal, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2024
Amid slashes in content spend by most studios, tax incentives granted by film commissions to shoot in certain jurisdictions are becoming more vital than ever.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
One man held a picture of Trump’s face covered by a red slash.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
More:Loyal customer aggravated Ford wouldn’t adjust Lightning order, respond after price slash
More:Ford to dramatically cut hourly workforce at F-150 Lightning plant in Dearborn
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com.
—Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
Crossbody bags similar in style to what celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift, and Oprah carry, totes, belt bags, backpacks, and wallets in pretty spring-ready hues and patterns have their slashes priced right now.
—Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
The lid has been changed from the LED dot matrix of the past to a chic diagonal metallic slash.
—PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024
Forty years ago, four men put on uniforms, came up with a catchy logo — a startled specter in a red circle with a slash going through it, no big whoop — strapped on some proton packs and saved New York City from an evil deity holed up in a penthouse.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
When the Broncos appeared as a 10 seed with a slash next to Colorado, indicating the play-in game Wednesday, there were gasps followed by eerie silence.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slash.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slash
Cite this Entry
“Slash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slash. Accessed 15 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slash
2 of 2 noun1
: the act of slashing
also
: a long cut or stroke made by slashing
2
: an ornamental slit in a garment
3
: a mark / used to mean "or" (as in and/or), "and or" (as in bottles/cans), or "per" (as in kilometers/hour)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share