slough
/slʌf/
noun
- A swamp, marsh, or muddy area, often a side channel of a river.
- The boat got stuck in the slough near the riverbank.
- Ducks nested in the reeds of the shallow slough.
- After the rain, the field turned into a muddy slough.
- A situation or period of difficulty, sadness, or lack of progress.
- She felt stuck in a slough of boredom during the long winter.
- The company is trying to climb out of a financial slough.
- He fell into a slough of despair after losing his job.
- Dead skin tissue that separates from healthy skin, especially after an injury or burn.
- A layer of slough formed over the healing burn.
- The doctor removed the slough from the wound.
- The nurse cleaned the slough to prevent infection.
verb
- To shed or cast off (skin, a layer, or a habit).
- He sloughed his bad habits and started exercising.
- The tree sloughs its bark every few years.
- The snake sloughed its old skin in one piece.
- To get rid of something unwanted or unnecessary.
- She sloughed off her worries and enjoyed the vacation.
- He tried to slough the blame onto someone else.
- The company sloughed its outdated policies.
Antonyms