slough: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal/Literary
Quick answer
What does “slough” mean?
A soft, muddy, or swampy area (noun, pronounced /slaʊ/).
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A soft, muddy, or swampy area (noun, pronounced /slaʊ/); To shed or cast off (verb, pronounced /slʌf/).
A situation characterized by lack of progress, stagnation, or moral degradation (noun); to remove or get rid of something unwanted (verb).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The noun meaning 'swamp' is primarily British. The verb 'slough off' is used in both, but the noun is less common in American English, often replaced by 'swamp' or 'marsh'.
Connotations
The noun (/slaʊ/) often carries negative, melancholic, or stagnant connotations. The verb (/slʌf/) is more neutral, relating to a natural process of renewal or removal.
Frequency
Overall low frequency. The verb form is more common in modern usage, especially in phrases like 'slough off dead skin' or 'slough off old habits'. The town name 'Slough' (UK) is pronounced /slaʊ/.
Grammar
How to Use “slough” in a Sentence
[Subject] sloughs off [Object] (e.g., The snake sloughs off its skin).[Subject] is mired in a slough of [Abstract Noun] (e.g., a slough of debt).Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “slough” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The snake will slough its skin in the warm terrarium.
- He tried to slough off his feelings of guilt.
American English
- The lizard sloughed off its old skin.
- We need to slough off these outdated regulations.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Metaphorically used for shedding unprofitable divisions or outdated practices. 'The company needs to slough off its inefficient legacy systems.'
Academic
Used in biology (shedding skin), geography (wetlands), and literary criticism (metaphorical stagnation).
Everyday
Rare. Might be understood in the verb form in contexts like skincare or personal change.
Technical
Specific term in medicine (slough: dead tissue separating from living tissue) and herpetology (shedding skin).
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “slough”
- Pronouncing the verb as /slaʊ/. Correct: /slʌf/.
- Using the noun in American English where 'swamp' is more natural.
- Misspelling as 'sluff' for the verb (though this is an accepted variant).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The noun (a swamp) is pronounced /slaʊ/ (rhyming with 'plough'). The verb (to shed) is pronounced /slʌf/ (rhyming with 'rough').
No, it is relatively uncommon and is mostly found in formal, literary, or technical contexts.
Yes, but it is less common. 'The snake sloughs its skin' is correct, but 'sloughs off its skin' is more frequent.
It is a famous literary allusion from John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrim's Progress', representing a state of deep despair or depression.
A soft, muddy, or swampy area (noun, pronounced /slaʊ/).
Slough is usually formal/literary in register.
Slough: in British English it is pronounced /slaʊ/ (noun, swamp); /slʌf/ (verb, shed), and in American English it is pronounced /slaʊ/ or /sluː/ (noun, swamp); /slʌf/ (verb, shed). Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Slough of Despond (a state of extreme depression, from Pilgrim's Progress)”
- “slough off the old skin”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A SLOUGH is SLOW and SOGGY like a swamp. To SLOUGH OFF is to SHUFFLE OFF something unwanted.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIFFICULTIES ARE SWAMPS (mired in a slough of problems). CHANGE IS SHEDDING SKIN (slough off the past).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'slough' pronounced /slʌf/?