incline

in·cline

Use incline in a sentence

incline

intransitive verb

-·clined′, -·clin′ing

to deviate from a horizontal or vertical position, course, etc.; lean; slope; slant
to bend or bow the body or head
1. to have a particular disposition or bent of mind, will, etc.
2. to have a tendency or preference: he inclines toward a drier wine

Origin of incline

Middle English enclinen from Old French encliner from Classical Latin inclinare from in-, on, to + clinare, to lean

to cause to lean, slope, slant, etc.; bend
to bend or bow (the body or head)
to give a tendency to; make willing; dispose; influence

an inclined plane or surface; slope; grade; slant

incline Idioms

incline one's ear

to pay heed; listen willingly

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MLA Style

"incline." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline>.

APA Style

incline. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline

incline

verb

in·clined, in·clin·ing, in·clines

verb

transitive

To cause (someone) to have a certain tendency: dispose: “His active, daring temperament little inclined him to patient, quiet study” ( Harriet Beecher Stowe )
To dispose (someone) to have a certain preference or opinion or to take a course of action: I'm inclined to agree with you. Are you inclined to go to out tonight?
To cause to lean, slant, or slope: “Galileo … inclined the plane and rolled brass balls down it” ( George Johnson ) See Synonyms at slant.
To bend or lower in a nod or bow: I inclined my head in acquiescence.

verb

intransitive

To be disposed to a certain preference, opinion, or course of action: Some researchers incline toward a different view of the problem.
To deviate from the horizontal or vertical; slant: When the path inclined steeply, it became difficult to continue hiking.
To lower or bend the head or body, as in a nod or bow.

noun

An inclined surface; a slope or gradient: The car rolled down the incline.

Origin of incline

Middle English enclinen from Old French encliner from Latin inclīnāre in- into, toward ; see in- ². -clīnāre to lean ; see klei- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

in·clin′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"incline." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline>.

APA Style

incline. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline

incline

incline bias dispose predispose

These verbs mean to influence or be influenced toward a particular attitude or course of action: inclined to believe her; is biased in his favor; were disposed to admire him; predisposed to studying.

See Also Synonyms at slant.

Antonym: disincline

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"incline." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 13 February 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline>.

APA Style

incline. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Incline

Verb

(third-person singular simple present inclines, present participle inclining, simple past and past participle inclined)

To bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical.
(intransitive) To slope.
To tend to do or believe something, or move or be moved in a certain direction, away from a point of view, attitude, etc.

Noun

(plural inclines)

A slope.

Related terms

Origin

From Old French encliner (modern incliner), from Latin inclÄ«nÅ (“incline, tilt"), from in- + clÄ«nÅ (compare -cline), from Proto-Indo-European *á¸±ley- (English lean).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.