Idioms are evocative, figurative expressions that add a layer of vividness to conversations, particularly when describing the unhurried, deliberate, or sluggish pace of actions, processes, or people. These phrases capture the essence of slowness—whether it’s a leisurely approach, a frustrating delay, or a cautious progression—using imaginative language that makes discussions more colorful, relatable, and often infused with humor or patience.
In this extensive listicle, we’ll explore 48 idioms related to the concept of “slow,” decoding their meanings and illustrating their use with examples. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of wit or wisdom to your conversations about unhurried moments or curious about the creative ways people articulate slowness, this guide will meander through the world of slow-related idioms. Let’s take our time and discover how these expressions can bring a relaxed rhythm to your dialogue!
What is an Idiom for Slow?
Idioms for slow are figurative phrases that describe a lack of speed, delay, or deliberate pace in actions, processes, or behaviors, using imaginative language to convey patience, sluggishness, or caution. These expressions make conversations about slowness more engaging, relatable, and often carry a sense of humor, frustration, or appreciation for taking things easy. Below, we’ll unpack each idiom, its meaning, and how it can be seamlessly woven into everyday conversations.
Idioms for Slow
1. Slow as Molasses
Meaning: Extremely slow-moving, like the thick, viscous flow of molasses.
In a Sentence: The old computer was slow as molasses, taking what felt like an eternity to load the simplest webpage, much to her frustration.
2. At a Snail’s Pace
Meaning: Moving very slowly, comparable to the leisurely crawl of a snail.
In a Sentence: The construction project moved at a snail’s pace, with workers taking their time, causing the neighborhood to grumble about the endless delays.
3. Take It Slow
Meaning: To proceed cautiously or at a relaxed pace, often intentionally.
In a Sentence: After the injury, he decided to take it slow with his training, gradually rebuilding his strength to avoid pushing his body too far too soon.
4. Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Meaning: Consistent, gradual progress leads to success, as in the tortoise and hare fable.
In a Sentence: She reminded herself that slow and steady wins the race, methodically studying each chapter to ensure she mastered the material before the exam.
5. Drag Your Feet
Meaning: To move or act slowly, often due to reluctance or lack of motivation.
In a Sentence: He dragged his feet on the group project, delaying his contributions until the last minute, much to the annoyance of his eager teammates.
6. Like Watching Paint Dry
Meaning: Describes something extremely slow or boring to observe.
In a Sentence: The meeting was like watching paint dry, with the presenter droning on at a glacial pace, causing everyone to fidget in their seats.
7. Creep Along
Meaning: To move very slowly, often with a sense of stealth or caution.
In a Sentence: Traffic crept along during the snowstorm, with cars inching forward cautiously, turning a short commute into a hours-long ordeal.
8. Poke Along
Meaning: To move or work at a leisurely or dawdling pace.
In a Sentence: The kids poked along on their way to school, stopping to inspect every interesting rock, oblivious to their mother’s calls to hurry up.
9. Slow as a Turtle
Meaning: Moving at an extremely unhurried pace, like a turtle’s deliberate stride.
In a Sentence: The elderly dog was slow as a turtle, ambling through the park with a contented wag, unconcerned with the faster pups racing around.
10. Dawdle
Meaning: To waste time or move slowly, often aimlessly or without urgency.
In a Sentence: She dawdled in the store, lingering over every aisle, her leisurely browsing stretching a quick errand into an afternoon adventure.
11. Lagging Behind
Meaning: Falling behind others due to a slower pace or delayed progress.
In a Sentence: He was lagging behind in the race, his slower strides unable to keep up with the pack, but he pressed on with determination.
12. At a Crawl
Meaning: Moving extremely slowly, almost as if barely progressing.
In a Sentence: The line at the coffee shop was at a crawl, with each customer’s complicated order slowing the barista’s efforts to a frustrating halt.
13. Plod Along
Meaning: To move or work slowly and steadily, often with effort or monotony.
In a Sentence: She plodded along on the tedious report, her slow but persistent progress ensuring every detail was accurate before submission.
14. Slow as a Sloth
Meaning: Extremely slow, like the famously languid movements of a sloth.
In a Sentence: The new intern was slow as a sloth, taking ages to complete even simple tasks, testing the patience of the busy office staff.
15. Take Your Sweet Time
Meaning: To move or act at a leisurely pace, often with a hint of impatience from others.
In a Sentence: He took his sweet time choosing a restaurant, scrolling through reviews while his hungry friends waited, their patience wearing thin.
16. In Slow Motion
Meaning: Moving or happening so slowly that it feels like a slowed-down film.
In a Sentence: The final moments of the game seemed to unfold in slow motion, with the ball inching toward the goal as the crowd held its breath.
17. Tarry
Meaning: To delay or linger, often unnecessarily or leisurely.
In a Sentence: She tarried in the garden, savoring the scent of blooming flowers, her slow pace turning a quick walk into a meditative retreat.
18. Slow on the Uptake
Meaning: Slow to understand or grasp something, often intellectually.
In a Sentence: He was slow on the uptake, needing the joke explained twice before his face lit up with a belated chuckle at the punchline.
19. Inch Along
Meaning: To progress very slowly, as if moving only an inch at a time.
In a Sentence: The negotiations inched along, with each side cautiously debating terms, prolonging the process far beyond anyone’s expectations.
20. Lollygag
Meaning: To spend time aimlessly or move slowly, often procrastinating.
In a Sentence: The kids lollygagged after school, meandering through the park instead of heading home, their carefree pace delaying dinner.
21. Mosey
Meaning: To move or walk slowly and casually, often without a specific purpose.
In a Sentence: He moseyed through the farmers’ market, pausing at each stall to chat, his leisurely stroll stretching the morning into afternoon.
22. Loiter
Meaning: To stand or wait around idly, often moving slowly or aimlessly.
In a Sentence: The teens loitered outside the store, their slow, aimless pacing drawing suspicious glances from the shopkeeper as they lingered.
23. Trudge
Meaning: To walk slowly and heavily, often with effort or reluctance.
In a Sentence: Exhausted, she trudged home through the rain, her slow steps weighed down by a long day and the sodden clothes clinging to her.
24. Slow as Dirt
Meaning: Extremely slow, with a rustic or exaggerated connotation.
In a Sentence: The rusty old tractor was slow as dirt, chugging across the field at a pace that tested the farmer’s patience on a tight schedule.
25. Dilly-Dally
Meaning: To waste time or move slowly, often through indecision or procrastination.
In a Sentence: She dilly-dallied while packing, deliberating over every item, turning a quick task into a drawn-out ordeal as the clock ticked on.
26. Meander
Meaning: To wander or move slowly and aimlessly, often in a pleasant way.
In a Sentence: They meandered along the riverbank, their slow, winding path allowing them to savor the beauty of the sunset and the gentle water’s flow.
27. Lumber Along
Meaning: To move slowly and clumsily, often with a heavy or awkward gait.
In a Sentence: The old truck lumbered along the dirt road, its slow, creaking progress kicking up dust as it carried its heavy load to the barn.
28. Slow as a Wet Week
Meaning: Extremely slow, with a sense of tediousness, like a long, dreary week.
In a Sentence: The bureaucracy was slow as a wet week, with paperwork crawling through endless approvals, delaying the project for months.
29. Put the Brakes On
Meaning: To deliberately slow down or stop progress, often for caution or control.
In a Sentence: She put the brakes on the plan, insisting on a slower approach to ensure every detail was perfect before moving forward with the launch.
30. Slow Burn
Meaning: A gradual increase in intensity or frustration, often slow to develop.
In a Sentence: His annoyance was a slow burn, building gradually as the meeting dragged on with endless debates over minor, time-consuming details.
31. Grind to a Halt
Meaning: To slow down and eventually stop completely, often abruptly.
In a Sentence: The factory’s production ground to a halt, with machinery slowing as workers struggled to fix a critical issue that stalled the entire line.
32. Like a Sluggard
Meaning: Moving or acting lazily and slowly, like a habitually idle person.
In a Sentence: He worked like a sluggard, his slow, half-hearted efforts frustrating his team, who needed his input to meet the looming deadline.
33. Slow as a Glacier
Meaning: Extremely slow, like the imperceptible movement of a glacier.
In a Sentence: The legal process was slow as a glacier, with each hearing pushing the resolution further into the future, testing everyone’s patience.
34. Hang Fire
Meaning: To delay or be slow to proceed, often waiting for something to happen.
In a Sentence: The decision hung fire, with the board moving slowly, deliberating endlessly while the team waited anxiously for approval.
35. Slow Poke
Meaning: A person or thing that moves or acts very slowly (informal).
In a Sentence: She teased her brother for being a slow poke, as he dawdled over breakfast, making them late for their morning hike.
36. Saunter
Meaning: To walk slowly and leisurely, often with a relaxed or confident air.
In a Sentence: He sauntered through the park, his slow, carefree stride reflecting his contentment as he soaked in the warm afternoon sun.
37. Amble
Meaning: To walk at a slow, easy pace, often in a relaxed or carefree manner.
In a Sentence: The couple ambled along the beach, their slow steps synchronized as they chatted softly, savoring the sound of waves and salty air.
38. Slow as a Funeral
Meaning: Moving at a very slow, solemn pace, like a funeral procession.
In a Sentence: The traffic was slow as a funeral, with cars crawling behind an oversized load, turning a quick trip into a frustratingly long journey.
39. Doodle Along
Meaning: To move or act slowly and aimlessly, often without focus.
In a Sentence: She doodled along on her art project, her slow, unfocused sketching delaying completion as she daydreamed about other ideas.
40. Shuffle
Meaning: To walk slowly with dragging or sliding steps, often due to tiredness.
In a Sentence: After the long shift, he shuffled home, his slow, weary steps reflecting the exhaustion that weighed heavily on his body and mind.
41. Slow as a Drip
Meaning: Extremely slow, like the gradual drip of water.
In a Sentence: The internet connection was slow as a drip, buffering endlessly, making it nearly impossible to stream the movie without interruptions.
42. Stall
Meaning: To delay or slow progress, often intentionally to avoid action.
In a Sentence: He stalled on the decision, his slow deliberation frustrating his partner, who was eager to move forward with the home renovation plans.
43. Toddle
Meaning: To walk slowly or unsteadily, often like a young child or leisurely.
In a Sentence: The toddler toddled across the lawn, her slow, wobbly steps delighting her parents, who watched her explore with careful, loving eyes.
44. Slow as Treacle
Meaning: Extremely slow, like the thick, sticky flow of treacle (similar to molasses).
In a Sentence: The old printer was slow as treacle, churning out pages at a maddening pace, delaying the urgent documents needed for the meeting.
45. Linger
Meaning: To stay or move slowly, often reluctantly or to savor a moment.
In a Sentence: She lingered at the café, her slow sips of coffee prolonging the peaceful morning, reluctant to dive into the chaos of her workday.
46. Slow as a Dawdler
Meaning: Moving at the pace of someone who habitually dawdles or wastes time.
In a Sentence: The delivery service was slow as a dawdler, taking days to transport a package that should have arrived in hours, frustrating eager customers.
47. Drag On
Meaning: To proceed or continue slowly, often tediously or longer than necessary.
In a Sentence: The lecture dragged on, with the professor’s slow delivery stretching a simple topic into an exhausting marathon that left students yawning.
48. Slow as a Laggard
Meaning: Moving at the pace of someone who is habitually slow or behind.
In a Sentence: The software update was slow as a laggard, downloading at a glacial pace, keeping her from accessing critical files for hours.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Slow as Molasses
What does the idiom “Slow as molasses” mean?
a) Extremely fast
b) Extremely slow-moving
c) Moderately paced
d) Highly energetic
Quiz 2: At a Snail’s Pace
What is the meaning of “At a snail’s pace”?
a) Moving very quickly
b) Moving very slowly
c) Moving erratically
d) Moving confidently
Quiz 3: Slow and Steady Wins the Race
When someone says, “Slow and steady wins the race,” what are they emphasizing?
a) The need for speed
b) The value of consistent, gradual progress
c) The importance of taking breaks
d) The benefit of rushing
Quiz 4: Drag Your Feet
What does the idiom “Drag your feet” suggest?
a) Moving quickly
b) Moving slowly due to reluctance
c) Dancing energetically
d) Acting decisively
Quiz 5: Like Watching Paint Dry
What situation is described by the idiom “Like watching paint dry”?
a) An exciting event
b) A slow or boring activity
c) A fast-paced task
d) A creative process
Quiz 6: Creep Along
If something is “creeping along,” what does it mean?
a) It is moving rapidly
b) It is moving very slowly
c) It is moving unpredictably
d) It is moving smoothly
Quiz 7: Take Your Sweet Time
What does the expression “Take your sweet time” imply?
a) Hurrying to finish
b) Moving at a leisurely pace
c) Acting with urgency
d) Completing tasks efficiently
Quiz 8: In Slow Motion
When is it appropriate to say, “In slow motion”?
a) When something happens quickly
b) When something feels very slow
c) When something is chaotic
d) When something is exciting
Quiz 9: Dawdle
What is the meaning of “Dawdle”?
a) To move quickly
b) To waste time or move slowly
c) To work efficiently
d) To plan carefully
Quiz 10: Mosey
When someone is “moseying,” what are they doing?
a) Rushing urgently
b) Moving slowly and casually
c) Working diligently
d) Avoiding movement
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for slow are like a leisurely stroll through language, capturing the essence of unhurried paces, delays, and deliberate actions with wit and imagery that make conversations more vivid and relatable. Whether you’re describing a sluggish process, a cautious approach, or a frustrating wait, these 48 idioms offer a rich collection of expressions to enhance your dialogue with patience and charm. Sprinkle them into your conversations to add a touch of unhurried eloquence, and let them linger in your words like a slow, steady breeze.