slew

/slu/

/slu/

Other forms: slewed; slewing; slews

Of all the many nouns referring to a large group of things, one of the most fun is slew, as in "I saw a whole slew of birds in the tree by the river."

American English is constantly evolving, its richness coming from the many languages feeding into it. The noun slew, for instance, is from the Irish Gaelic sluagh, meaning "multitude." As an unrelated verb, it's the past tense of slay.

Definitions of slew

1. noun

   (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
   “a slew of journalists”

   synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, spate, stack, tidy sum, wad

   types:

   barrage, deluge, flood, flurry, inundation, torrent

   an overwhelming number or amount

   haymow

   a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation

   type of:

   large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude
2. verb

   move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
   synonyms: skid, slide, slip, slue

   types:

   submarine

   move forward or under in a sliding motion

   skid

   slide without control

   side-slip

   slide sideways through the air in a downward direction in an airplane along an inclined lateral axis

   type of:

   glide

   move smoothly and effortlessly
3. verb

   turn sharply; change direction abruptly
   synonyms: curve, cut, sheer, slue, swerve, trend, veer

   types:

   peel off

   leave a formation

   yaw

   swerve off course momentarily

   type of:

   turn

   change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense