1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Something that is slight is very small in degree or quantity. □ Doctors say he has made a slight improvement. □ We have a slight problem. □ He's not the slightest bit worried.
2 ADJ A slight person has a fairly thin and delicate looking body. □ She is smaller and slighter than Christie. ● slight|ly ADV [ADV -ed] □ …a slightly built man.
3 VERB [usu passive] If you are slighted , someone does or says something that insults you by treating you as if your views or feelings are not important. □ [feel V -ed] They felt slighted by not being adequately consulted. ● N‑COUNT Slight is also a noun. □ [+ on ] It isn't a slight on my husband that I enjoy my evening class.
4 PHRASE You use in the slightest to emphasize a negative statement. [EMPHASIS ] □ That doesn't interest me in the slightest. SYNONYMS slight ADJ 1
minor: Western officials say it's a minor problem, and should be quickly overcome.
insignificant: In 1949 Bonn was a small, insignificant city.
negligible: The pay that the soldiers received was negligible.
meagre: The bank's staff were already angered by a meagre 3.1% pay rise. VERB 3
snub: He snubbed her in public and made her feel an idiot.
insult: I did not mean to insult you.
ignore: She said her husband ignored her.
slight|ly ◆◆◇ /sla I tli/ ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] Slightly means to some degree but not to a very large degree. □ His family then moved to a slightly larger house. □ They will be slightly more expensive but they last a lot longer. □ You can adjust it slightly. SYNONYMS slightly ADV
rather: I grew up in rather unusual circumstances.
somewhat: He concluded that Oswald was somewhat odd.
quite: I felt quite bitter about it at the time.
fairly: Both ships are fairly new.
slim ◆◇◇ /sl I m/ (slimmer , slimmest , slims , slimming , slimmed )
1 ADJ A slim person has an attractively thin and well-shaped body. [APPROVAL ] □ The young woman was tall and slim. □ Jean is pretty, of slim build, with blue eyes.
2 VERB If you are slimming , you are trying to make yourself thinner and lighter by eating less food. □ [V ] Some people will gain weight, no matter how hard they try to slim. [Also V n] ● PHRASAL VERB Slim down means the same as slim . □ [V P ] Doctors have told Benny to slim down. □ [V P n] …salon treatments that claim to slim down thighs.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A slim book, wallet, or other object is thinner than usual. □ The slim booklets describe a range of services and facilities.
4 ADJ A slim chance or possibility is a very small one. □ There's still a slim chance that he may become Prime Minister.
5 VERB If an organization slims its products or workers, it reduces the number of them that it has. [BUSINESS ] □ [V n] The company recently slimmed its product line.
▸ slim down
1 PHRASAL VERB If a company or other organization slims down or is slimmed down , it employs fewer people, in order to save money or become more efficient. [BUSINESS ] □ [V P ] Many firms have had little choice but to slim down. □ [V P n] …the plan to slim down the coal industry. [Also V n P ]
2 → see slim 2 SYNONYMS slim ADJ 1
thin: He was a tall, thin man with grey hair.
slender: She was slender, with delicate wrists and ankles.
slight: She is smaller and slighter than Christie.
lean: Like most athletes, she was lean and muscular.
slime /sla I m/ N‑UNCOUNT Slime is a thick, wet substance which covers a surface or comes from the bodies of animals such as snails. □ There was an unappealing film of slime on top of the pond.
slim|line /sl I mla I n/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Slimline objects are thinner or narrower than normal ones. □ The slimline diary fits easily into a handbag.
slimy /sla I mi/ (slimier , slimiest )
1 ADJ Slimy substances are thick, wet, and unpleasant. Slimy objects are covered in a slimy substance. □ His feet slipped in the slimy mud.
2 ADJ If you describe someone as slimy , you dislike them because they are friendly and pleasant in an insincere way. [BRIT , INFORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ I've worked hard for what I have and I don't want it taken away by some slimy business partner.
sling /sl I ŋ/ (slings , slinging , slung )
1 VERB If you sling something somewhere, you throw it there carelessly. □ [V n prep/adv] I saw him take off his anorak and sling it into the back seat.
2 VERB If you sling something over your shoulder or over something such as a chair, you hang it there loosely. □ [V n prep] She slung her coat over her desk chair. □ [V -ed prep] He had a small green rucksack slung over one shoulder.
3 VERB [usu passive] If a rope, blanket, or other object is slung between two points, someone has hung it loosely between them. □ [be V -ed prep] …two long poles with a blanket slung between them.
4 N‑COUNT A sling is an object made of ropes, straps, or cloth that is used for carrying things. □ [+ of ] They used slings of rope to lower us from one set of arms to another.