slacking (off)

verb

present participle of slack (off)
1
as in hanging around

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in forgetting

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for slacking (off)
  1. hanging around
  2. forgetting
  3. hanging about
  4. neglecting
Verb
  • Westminster officials also recently warned residents of a bullsnake hanging around Big Dry Creek near City Park, a snake often mistaken for a rattler.
    — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • But one of them does get a very important mention, explaining why he won’t be spotted hanging around the Richmond pitch anytime soon.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of hanging around
Verb
  • Because creating that avenue was a theme of loss and remembering and what forgetting or remembering means for a character.
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Really, the challenge as an actor is forgetting all the playfulness, ambition and tone around it, or even the books and the research and just playing the truth of it.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of forgetting
Verb
  • President James Garfield’s assassin, Charles Guiteau, died by hanging about five months after he was convicted of murder.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • In 2019, city employees began hanging about 500 trick-or-treat pumpkin buckets in the trees on Main Street every October.
    — Elliott Harrell, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Definition of hanging about
Verb
  • This helps prevent the side hustle from becoming a second full-time job, and keeps you from neglecting your other priorities.
    — Chelsea Tobin, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Since voters returned Worrell to office in 2024, Uthmeier has repeatedly accused her of neglecting her duties as a prosecutor.
    — Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of neglecting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

slacking
slacking (off)
slackness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slacking (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slacking%20%28off%29. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All