Adjacent Words

Incline definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INCLI'NE, v.t. [L. inclino; in and clino; Eng. to lean.]
1. To lean; to deviate from an erect or parallel line toward any object; to tend. Converging lines incline toward each other. A road inclines to the north or south. Connecticut river runs south, inclining in some part of its course to the west, and below middletown, it inclines to the east.
2. To lean; in a moral sense; to have a propension; to be disposed; to have some wish or desire.
Their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech. Judges 9.
3. To have an appetite; to be disposed; as, to be inclined to eat.
INCLI'NE, v.t. To cause to deviate from an erect, perpendicular or parallel line; to give a leaning to; as, incline the column or post to the east; incline your head to the right.
1. To give a tendency or propension to the will or affections; to turn; to dispose.
Incline our hearts to keep this law.
Incline my heart to thy testimonies. Psalms 119.
2. To bend; to cause to stoop or bow; as, to incline the head or the body in acts of reverence or civility.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an elevated geological formation; "he climbed the steep slope"; "the house was built on the side of a mountain" [syn: slope, incline, side]
2: an inclined surface connecting two levels [syn: ramp, incline] v
1: have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined; "She tends to be nervous before her lectures"; "These dresses run small"; "He inclined to corpulence" [syn: tend, be given, lean, incline, run]
2: bend or turn (one's ear) towards a speaker in order to listen well; "He inclined his ear to the wise old man"
3: lower or bend (the head or upper body), as in a nod or bow; "She inclined her head to the student"
4: be at an angle; "The terrain sloped down" [syn: slope, incline, pitch]
5: feel favorably disposed or willing; "She inclines to the view that people should be allowed to expres their religious beliefs"
6: make receptive or willing towards an action or attitude or belief; "Their language inclines us to believe them" [syn: dispose, incline] [ant: disincline, indispose]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (inclined; inclining) Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French incliner, encliner, from Latin inclinare, from in- + clinare to lean — more at lean Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to bend the head or body forward ; bow 2. to lean, tend, or become drawn toward an opinion or course of conduct 3. to deviate from a line, direction, or course; specifically to deviate from the vertical or horizontal transitive verb 1. to cause to stoop or bow ; bend 2. to have influence on ; persuade <his love of books inclined him toward a literary career> 3. to give a bend or slant to • incliner noun Synonyms: incline, bias, dispose, predispose mean to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something. incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions <I incline to agree>. bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice <the experience biased him against foreigners>. dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something <her nature disposes her to trust others>. predispose implies the operation of a disposing influence well in advance of the opportunity to manifest itself <does fictional violence predispose them to accept real violence?>. II. noun Date: 1846 an inclined plane ; grade, slope

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. (usu. in passive; often foll. by to, for, or to + infin.) a make (a person, feelings, etc.) willing or favourably disposed (am inclined to think so; does not incline me to agree). b give a specified tendency to (a thing) (the door is inclined to bang). 2 intr. a be disposed (I incline to think so). b (often foll. by to, towards) tend. 3 intr. & tr. lean or turn away from a given direction, esp. the vertical. 4 tr. bend (the head, body, or oneself) forward or downward. --n. 1 a slope. 2 an inclined plane. Phrases and idioms: inclined plane a sloping plane (esp. as a means of reducing the force needed to raise a load). incline one's ear (often foll. by to) listen favourably. Derivatives: incliner n. Etymology: ME encline f. OF encliner f. L inclinare (as IN-(2), clinare bend)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incline In*cline", n. An inclined plane; an ascent o? descent; a grade or gradient; a slope.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incline In*cline", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Inclined; p. pr. & vb. n. Inclining.] [OE. inclinen, enclinen, OF. encliner, incliner, F. incliner, L. inclinare; pref. in- in + clinare to bend, incline; akin to E. lean. See Lean to incline.] 1. To deviate from a line, direction, or course, toward an object; to lean; to tend; as, converging lines incline toward each other; a road inclines to the north or south. 2. Fig.: To lean or tend, in an intellectual or moral sense; to favor an opinion, a course of conduct, or a person; to have a propensity or inclination; to be disposed. Their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech. --Judges ix. 3. Power finds its balance, giddy motions cease In both the scales, and each inclines to peace. --Parnell. 3. To bow; to incline the head. --Chaucer. Syn: To lean; slope; slant; tend; bend.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Incline In*cline", v. t. 1. To cause to deviate from a line, position, or direction; to give a leaning, bend, or slope to; as, incline the column or post to the east; incline your head to the right. Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear. --Is. xxxvii. 17. 2. To impart a tendency or propensity to, as to the will or affections; to turn; to dispose; to influence. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies. --Ps. cxix. 36. Incline our hearts to keep this law. --Book of Com. Prayer. 3. To bend; to cause to stoop or bow; as, to incline the head or the body in acts of reverence or civility. With due respect my body I inclined. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(inclined) 1. If you incline to think or act in a particular way, or if something inclines you to it, you are likely to think or act in that way. (FORMAL) I incline to the view that he is right. ...the factors which incline us towards particular beliefs... Many end up as team leaders, which inclines them to co-operate with the bosses... Those who fail incline to blame the world for their failure. VERB: V to/towards n, V n to/towards n, V n to-inf, V to-inf 2. If you incline your head, you bend your neck so that your head is leaning forward. (WRITTEN) Jack inclined his head very slightly. VERB: V n 3. An incline is land that slopes at an angle. (FORMAL) He came to a halt at the edge of a steep incline. = slope N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Lean, slope, slant. 2. Trend, verge, tend obliquely. 3. Be disposed, have a disposition, have a desire, feel a propensity. 4. Tend, go naturally, tend by nature, have a propensity, proclivity, leaning, bent, bias, or pre-disposition. II. v. a. 1. Give a direction toward. 2. Dispose, predispose, turn, bias. 3. Bend, bow.

Moby Thesaurus

acclivity, acquiesce, address, affect, agree, aim, angle, ascend, ascent, back stairs, bank, be agreeable to, be disposed to, be dying to, be eager, be game, be open to, be predisposed, be ready, be spoiling for, be willing, bear, bend, bend to, bevel, bezel, bias, bow, bring, cant, careen, carry, cast, choose rather, chute, climb, collaborate, color, companion, companionway, conduce, consent, contribute, cooperate, decide, decline, declivity, deflect, descend, descent, determine, dip, dispose, drive, drop, easy slope, engage, enlist, escalier, fall, fall away, fall off, favor, feel about it, fire escape, fleam, flight of steps, gentle slope, get to do, glacis, go, go along with, go downhill, go uphill, grade, gradient, gravitate, hanging gardens, have a bias, have a tendency, have preference, have rather, head, heel, helicline, hill, hillside, hold a heading, honor before, impel, inclination, incline toward, inclined plane, induce, influence, interest in, keel, landing, landing stage, launching ramp, lay, lead, lean, lean toward, lean towards, leaning, level, like better, list, look at it, look kindly upon, look to, lure, make, move, not hesitate to, perron, persuade, pitch, please, plunge, plunge into, point, point to, precipitate, predispose, prefer, prefer to, prejudice, procure, prompt, rake, ramp, rather, recline, redound to, retreat, rise, scarp, see fit, serve, set, set before, set toward, settle, shelve, shelving beach, show a tendency, show preference, side, sidle, sink, slant, slope, soften up, spiral staircase, staircase, stairs, stairway, steep slope, steer, stepping-stones, steps, stiff climb, stile, subside, swag, sway, talus, tempt, tend, tend to go, tend toward, think best, think fit, think proper, tilt, tin, tinge, tip, tone, train, treads and risers, trend, turn, uprise, verge, view, warp, wear down, weigh with, work, work toward, would as leave, would as lief