50 Idioms for Slow Meaning & Sentence
50 Idioms for Slow
1. At a snail’s pace
Meaning: Extremely slow movement
In a Sentence: The traffic moved at a snail’s pace.
Other Ways to Say: Very slowly, At a crawl, Sluggishly
2. Molasses in January
Meaning: Extremely slow
In a Sentence: Her internet speed was like molasses in January.
Other Ways to Say: Slower than slow, Sluggish
3. Like watching paint dry
Meaning: Boring and slow
In a Sentence: That lecture felt like watching paint dry.
Other Ways to Say: Tedious, Dragging, Uninteresting
4. Dragging one’s feet
Meaning: Moving slowly due to unwillingness
In a Sentence: He’s been dragging his feet about cleaning his room.
Other Ways to Say: Procrastinating, Dilly-dallying
5. Take one’s time
Meaning: Do something slowly and carefully
In a Sentence: She took her time preparing the meal.
Other Ways to Say: No rush, Go slow
6. Slow as a turtle
Meaning: Extremely slow
In a Sentence: He’s as slow as a turtle when he walks.
Other Ways to Say: Crawling, Sluggish
7. Move at a crawl
Meaning: Move very slowly
In a Sentence: The line moved at a crawl.
Other Ways to Say: Inch forward, Barely move
8. Snail mail
Meaning: Regular post, which is slow compared to email
In a Sentence: I sent it by snail mail instead of emailing.
Other Ways to Say: Traditional mail, Postal delivery
9. Slow and steady wins the race
Meaning: Patience and consistency lead to success
In a Sentence: He’s not fast, but slow and steady wins the race.
Other Ways to Say: Persistent effort pays off
10. Put the brakes on
Meaning: Slow down or stop something
In a Sentence: We had to put the brakes on spending.
Other Ways to Say: Halt, Delay, Suspend
11. Move at a glacial pace
Meaning: Extremely slow movement
In a Sentence: Bureaucracy moves at a glacial pace.
Other Ways to Say: Very slow, Sluggish
12. Take it slow
Meaning: Not to hurry
In a Sentence: Let’s take it slow in this relationship.
Other Ways to Say: Ease into it, Proceed slowly
13. Inching forward
Meaning: Progressing slowly
In a Sentence: Traffic was inching forward.
Other Ways to Say: Crawling, Bit by bit
14. On the back burner
Meaning: Postponed or delayed
In a Sentence: The project is on the back burner for now.
Other Ways to Say: Delayed, Paused
15. In no rush
Meaning: Not hurrying
In a Sentence: I’m in no rush to finish this book.
Other Ways to Say: Taking it easy, No hurry
16. Like molasses
Meaning: Very slow
In a Sentence: His movements were like molasses.
Other Ways to Say: Sluggish, Thick-paced
17. Linger over
Meaning: Take a long time with something
In a Sentence: She lingered over breakfast.
Other Ways to Say: Loiter, Take time
18. Creep along
Meaning: Move slowly and carefully
In a Sentence: The car crept along the icy road.
Other Ways to Say: Crawl, Inch along
19. Pace oneself
Meaning: Go at a steady, sustainable speed
In a Sentence: He paced himself during the marathon.
Other Ways to Say: Maintain tempo, Regulate speed
20. Lollygag around
Meaning: Waste time by moving slowly
In a Sentence: Stop lollygagging and get dressed!
Other Ways to Say: Dawdle, Loaf around
21. Move like a tortoise
Meaning: Very slow movement
In a Sentence: The old dog moved like a tortoise.
Other Ways to Say: Crawl, Shuffle
22. Dawdle around
Meaning: Move slowly and waste time
In a Sentence: He dawdled around before starting homework.
Other Ways to Say: Stall, Delay
23. Take forever
Meaning: Take a very long time
In a Sentence: She takes forever to get ready.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely slow, Never-ending
24. Hit the brakes
Meaning: Stop suddenly or slow down
In a Sentence: We hit the brakes on new hiring.
Other Ways to Say: Pause, Stop
25. Ease into it
Meaning: Start slowly
In a Sentence: He eased into his morning routine.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually begin, Slowly start
26. Behind the times
Meaning: Not up-to-date or slow to adapt
In a Sentence: That company is behind the times.
Other Ways to Say: Outdated, Old-fashioned
27. Turtle-paced
Meaning: Extremely slow
In a Sentence: The elevator was turtle-paced today.
Other Ways to Say: Sluggish, Snail-like
28. Not in a hurry
Meaning: Moving without urgency
In a Sentence: She’s clearly not in a hurry to finish.
Other Ways to Say: Taking it slow, No rush
29. Slow burn
Meaning: Gradual development
In a Sentence: Their romance was a slow burn.
Other Ways to Say: Gradual build, Steady progression
30. Crawl along
Meaning: Move slowly
In a Sentence: Traffic crawled along the road.
Other Ways to Say: Inch forward, Snail pace
31. One step at a time
Meaning: Slowly and gradually
In a Sentence: We’re taking this project one step at a time.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually, Step-by-step
32. Cool one’s heels
Meaning: Wait for a long time
In a Sentence: I cooled my heels in the lobby.
Other Ways to Say: Wait patiently, Be delayed
33. Hold your horses
Meaning: Wait or slow down
In a Sentence: Hold your horses—we’re not ready yet.
Other Ways to Say: Be patient, Slow down
34. Slow off the mark
Meaning: Slow to respond or act
In a Sentence: He’s always slow off the mark in class.
Other Ways to Say: Late starter, Hesitant
35. Plod along
Meaning: Work or move slowly
In a Sentence: He plodded along through the paperwork.
Other Ways to Say: Trudge, Grind
36. Delay the inevitable
Meaning: Postpone something certain
In a Sentence: You’re just delaying the inevitable.
Other Ways to Say: Prolong, Stall
37. Dead slow
Meaning: Extremely slow
In a Sentence: The ship moved dead slow through fog.
Other Ways to Say: Barely moving, Creeping
38. Stretch out
Meaning: Extend over time
In a Sentence: The meeting stretched out for hours.
Other Ways to Say: Prolong, Extend
39. Drag on
Meaning: Last longer than needed
In a Sentence: The movie dragged on forever.
Other Ways to Say: Overextend, Linger
40. Behind schedule
Meaning: Slower than planned
In a Sentence: We’re behind schedule on the project.
Other Ways to Say: Delayed, Running late
41. In slow motion
Meaning: Moving as if slowed down
In a Sentence: The fight felt like it was in slow motion.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually, Step-by-step
42. Turtle along
Meaning: Move slowly
In a Sentence: He turtled along the sidewalk.
Other Ways to Say: Shuffle, Drag along
43. Take the scenic route
Meaning: Go slowly or indirectly
In a Sentence: We took the scenic route to enjoy the drive.
Other Ways to Say: Wander, Meander
44. Waste time
Meaning: Use time inefficiently
In a Sentence: Stop wasting time and focus.
Other Ways to Say: Delay, Procrastinate
45. Miss the boat
Meaning: Be too late
In a Sentence: She missed the boat on that opportunity.
Other Ways to Say: Too late, Lost chance
46. Hang back
Meaning: Stay behind, move slowly
In a Sentence: He hung back while others rushed forward.
Other Ways to Say: Lag, Hesitate
47. Move at a turtle’s pace
Meaning: Extremely slow movement
In a Sentence: The software update moved at a turtle’s pace.
Other Ways to Say: Snail-paced, Creeping
48. Let time slip by
Meaning: Allow time to pass without action
In a Sentence: She let time slip by without studying.
Other Ways to Say: Waste time, Idle
49. Slowpoke
Meaning: Someone who is slow
In a Sentence: Hurry up, slowpoke!
Other Ways to Say: Slacker, Tortoise
50. Crawl out of bed
Meaning: Get up slowly
In a Sentence: I crawled out of bed after snoozing my alarm.
Other Ways to Say: Rise slowly, Drag oneself up
