tr. & intr.v., -ened, -en·ing, -ens.

1. To make or become slower; slow down: The runners slackened their pace. Air speed slackened.
2. To make or become less tense, taut, or firm; loosen: I slackened the line to let the fish swim. The tension in the board room finally slackened.
3. To make or become less vigorous, intense, or severe; ease: slacken discipline; afraid that morale might slacken.

verb

1. To reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity: ease, let up, loose, loosen, relax, slack, untighten. See tighten/loosen.
2. To become or cause to become less active or intense: abate, bate, die (away, down, off. or out), ease (off or up), ebb, fall, fall off, lapse, let up, moderate, remit, slack off, subside, wane. See increase/decrease.
3. To moderate or change a position or course of action as a result of pressure: ease off, relent, soften, weaken, yield. Idioms: givewayground. See strong/weak.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The verb has 4 meanings:

Meaning #1: become slow or slower
  Synonyms: slow, slow down, slow up, slack

Meaning #2: make less active or fast
  Synonyms: slack, slack up, relax

Meaning #3: become looser or slack
  Also see: slacken off (meaning #1)

Meaning #4: make slack as by lessening tension or firmness
  Synonym: remit

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - slække, sagtne, mindske
v. intr. - løje af, aftage

idioms:

• slacken off    slappe af, blive sløv

Nederlands (Dutch)
verslappen, afnemen, losser maken

Français (French)
v. tr. - donner du mou à, lâcher, relâcher, desserrer, réduire, assouplir
v. intr. - se relâcher, se desserrer, ralentir, diminuer, se calmer

idioms:

• slacken off    se relâcher, se laisser aller, relâcher, donner du mou

Deutsch (German)
v. - (sich) lockern, entspannen, (sich) verlangsamen

idioms:

• slacken off    (sich) lockern, (sich) verlangsamen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - λασκάρω, χαλαρώνω, επιβραδύνω, κοπάζω, μειώνω

idioms:

• slacken off    χαλαρώνω, ατονώ

Italiano (Italian)
indebolirsi, spegnersi (di calce), diminuire

idioms:

• slacken off    mollare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - afrouxar, abrandar, diminuir velocidade

idioms:

• slacken off    reduzir atividade e rapidez

Русский (Russian)
замедлять, замедляться, уменьшать, ослабевать, идти хуже (о делах), ослаблять, слабеть, разбалтываться, отдыхать, давать отдых

idioms:

• slacken off    ослаблять, ослабевать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - aflojar, disminuir, bajar, aminorar
v. intr. - descuidarse, ser descuidado, negligente, lento o perezoso

idioms:

• slacken off    retardar, disminuir, moderar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - minska, sakta, slappa, släppa på, slakna, bli slakare

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
放松, 使松弛, 减弱, 减缓, 变松弛, 变迟缓, 变缓慢

idioms:

• slacken off    松懈, 变缓慢, 变迟缓, 减弱

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 放鬆, 使鬆弛, 減弱, 減緩
v. intr. - 變鬆弛, 變遲緩, 變緩慢, 減弱

idioms:

• slacken off    鬆懈, 變緩慢, 變遲緩, 減弱

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 느슨하게 하다, 게을리하다, (활동 따위가) 줄다
v. intr. - 느슨하게 되다, 게을리하다, (활동 따위가) 줄다

idioms:

• slacken off    활발하지 않게 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - ゆるめる, たるませる, 弱める, 不活発になる, 緩和する

idioms:

• slacken off    ぞんざいにする, だらける

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يضعف, يتوانى, يرخي, يخفف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮האט, החליש, הקליש, ריפה‬
v. intr. - ‮נרפה, נחלש, הואט‬

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