English Explanatory Dictionary

tilt

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To slope or incline (something); to slant.
  2. To be at an angle.
  3. To charge (at someone) with a lance.
  4. To point or thrust a weapon at.
  5. To point or thrust (a weapon).
  6. To forge (something) with a tilt hammer.
  7. To intentionally let the ball fall down to the drain by disabling flippers and most targets, done as a punishment to the player when the machine is nudged too violently or frequently.
  8. To enter a state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.
  9. To modify one's approach.
noun
  1. A slope or inclination.
  2. The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.
  3. The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.
  4. A jousting contest. (countable)
  5. An attempt at something, such as a tilt at public office.
  6. A thrust, as with a lance.
  7. A tilt hammer.
  8. A state of frustration and worsened performance resulting from a series of losses.
noun
  1. A canvas covering for carts, boats, etc.
  2. Any covering overhead; especially, a tent.
verb
  1. To cover with a tilt, or awning.
name
  1. A river in Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, that joins the River Garry at Blair Atholl.

Pronunciation

/tɪlt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-tilt.wav

Word forms

tilt tilts tilting tilted

Etymology

From Middle English tilte, from Old English *tyltan, *tieltan (“to be unsteady”), related to the adjective tealt (“unsteady”), from Proto-West Germanic *talt, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *del-, *dul- (“to shake, hesitate”), see also Dutch touteren (“to tremble”), North Frisian talt, tolt (“unstable, shaky”). Cognate with Icelandic tölt (“an ambling pace”). The nominal sense of "a joust" appears around 1510, presumably derived from the barrier which separated the combatants, which suggests connection with tilt "covering". The modern transitive meaning is from 1590; the intransitive use appears 1620. The sense of gaming frustration is said to originate with pinball.

Synonyms

slope incline slant cock

Derived words

canthal tilt I'm using tilt controls! at full tilt atilt axial tilt Dutch tilt full tilt full-tilt boogie full tilt boogie non-tilt on tilt pelvic tilt tilt-and-turn tilt at windmills Tilt-A-Whirl tilt barrier Tilt Cove tilt fan tiltmeter tilt rail tilt-shift tilt switch tilt table test tilt-turn tilt-yard
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