slacken

1 become slow or slower; "Production slowed" [syn: slow, slow down, slow up, slack]

2 make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" [syn: slack, slack up, relax]

3 become looser or slack; "the rope slackened"

4 make slack as by lessening tension or firmness [syn: remit]

English

Etymology

• From Old English: slǣcan

Pronunciation

Verb

1. To gradually decrease in intensity; to become slack.

   The pace slackened.

2. To reduce the intensity (of something).

   He slackened the pace.

Related terms

• slack
• slacker

Translations

abate, allay, alleviate, anesthetize, appease, arrest, assuage, attemper, attenuate, backpedal, backwater, bank the fire, bate, benumb, block, blunt, bog down, bottle up, brake, chasten, check, clip the wings, come apart, confine, constrain, control, countercheck, curb, cushion, dam up, damp, dampen, de-emphasize, deaden, deaden the pain, decelerate, degenerate, delay, detain, deteriorate, die down, diffuse, dilute, diminish, disimprove, disintegrate, disjoin, disperse, dissolve into chaos, downplay, drag, draw rein, dull, ease, ease matters, ease off, ease up, ebb, extenuate, fall, fall back, foment, free, get worse, give relief, grow worse, hang up, hinder, hold back, hold in check, hold up, impede, inhibit, intercept, interfere, intermeddle, interrupt, intervene, keep back, keep in check, keep within bounds, lag, lax, lay, lenify, lessen, let down, let go, let up, let up on, lighten, loose, loosen, lose ground, lose momentum, lose speed, lull, make late, meddle, mire, mitigate, moderate, modulate, mollify, numb, obstruct, obtund, oppose, pad, palliate, play down, poultice, pour balm into, pour oil on, reduce, reduce the temperature, reef, regress, rein in, relapse, relax, relent, relieve, remit, repress, resist, restrain, retard, retrograde, retrogress, salve, scatter, scotch, set back, sicken, slack, slack off, slack up, slackening, slake, slip back, slow, slow down, slow up, slow-up, smother, snub, sober, sober down, soften, soothe, stay, stifle, stop, stupe, subdue, subside, suppress, take in sail, tame, temper, throttle down, tone down, tune down, unbend, unbrace, underplay, unglue, unlax, unleash, unstick, unstrain, unstring, untighten, untune, unwind, wane, water down, weaken, worsen