slew
2 of 4past tense of slay
slew
4 of 4less common spelling of slough entry 1 sense 1b
Did you know?
Slew appeared as an American colloquialism in the early 19th century. Its origins are unclear, but it is perhaps taken from the Irish slua, a descendant of Old Irish slúag, meaning "army," "host," or "throng." Slew has several homographs (words that are spelled alike but different in meaning, derivation, or pronunciation) in English. These include: slew as the past tense of the verb slay; slew as a spelling variant of slough, a word which is also commonly pronounced \SLOO\ and which means "swamp," "an inlet on a river," or "a creek in a marsh or tide flat"; and the verb slew, meaning "to turn, veer, or skid."
Examples of slew in a Sentence
Justin Klawans,
TheWeek,
2 July 2026
What is clear is that Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kelce have donated $26 million to a slew of charities across the nation just ahead of their nuptials and America’s 250th birthday.
—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
2 July 2026
Anton Money,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
David Carle and the Pioneers slew both Big Ten Goliaths to remind everyone that DU remains the premier men’s college hockey program.
—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for slew
Cite this Entry
“Slew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slew. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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