tilt Hear it!

tilt1 definition

tilt (tilt)

transitive verb

  1. to cause to slope or slant; tip
    1. to poise or thrust (a lance) in or as in a tilt
    2. to charge at (one's opponent) in a tilt
  2. to forge or hammer with a tilt hammer
  3. to direct (a discussion, policy, etc.) so as to favor a particular opinion or side

Etymology: ME tilten, to be overthrown, totter, prob. < OE *tieltan < tealt, shaky, unstable; akin to Swed tulta, to totter < IE base *del-, to waddle, totter > Sans dulā, she who totters

intransitive verb

  1. to slope; incline; slant; tip
  2. to poise or thrust one's lance, or to charge (at one's opponent) in a tilt
  3. to take part in a tilt or joust
  4. to dispute, argue, contend, attack, etc.
  5. to have, or come to have, a bias or inclination in favor of a particular opinion or side in a dispute

noun

  1. a medieval contest in which two armed horsemen thrust with lances in an attempt to unseat each other; joust
  2. any spirited contest, contention, dispute, etc. between persons
  3. a thrust or parry, as with a lance
    1. the act of tilting, or sloping
    2. the condition or angle of being tilted; slope or slant
  4. Informal a leaning, bias, etc.

Related Forms:

tilt Idioms

(at) full tilt

at full speed; with the greatest force
tilt2 definition

tilt (tilt)

noun

a cloth covering or canopy of a boat, stall, cart, etc.

Etymology: ME telte < OE teld, tent, akin to Ger zelt

transitive verb

to furnish or cover with a tilt

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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