Incline Meaning
/ɪnˈklaɪn/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical.
verbTo slope.
Sentence Examples
Say hello to my incline treadmill.
We ascended a steep incline.
Motorists hardly notice a gentle incline, but cyclists do.
CEFR Practice Quiz
I ____ to laugh when I see a funny video on social media.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The steep ____ of the mountain road made it very difficult for the old truck to climb up.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Italic *en Proto-Italic *en- Latin in- Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- Proto-Indo-European *-éyti Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-der. Proto-Italic *kleināō Latin clīnō Latin inclīnāre Old French enclinerbor. Middle English enclinen English incline From Middle English enclinen, from Old French encliner (modern incliner), from Latin inclīnō (“incline, tilt”), from in- + clīnō (compare -cline), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;[…].""
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
I ____ to laugh when I see a funny video on social media.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The steep ____ of the mountain road made it very difficult for the old truck to climb up.