inclined; inclining
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
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
Examples of incline in a Sentence
Verb
She listened with her eyes closed and her head inclined.
The road inclines at an angle of about 12 degrees.
His love of books inclined him toward a literary career.
Noun
We drove up a steep incline to the summit.
You can adjust the incline of the ramp.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Convenience features: a 12-volt power outlet, 60/40 split fold down rear seatbacks, dark tint privacy glass, dual-pinion electric power assist steering, dual zone automatic climate control and incline start assist.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
These gray days tend to feel cooler, so you might be inclined to stay outside longer or forget to reapply sunscreen.
—Sarah Klein, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The Moon's orbit is inclined at about five degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers subject to partisan litmus tests might be inclined to bend those rules.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
In an era inclined to narrative and political art, Tiler Peck is not afraid to give us the pure pleasure of music and dance.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Performed in 1979, Resonances was rigorously choreographed to appear spontaneous, evading governmental restrictions on collective action while simultaneously extending collective action to include people who might not be inclined to act on their own.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
This was a nocturnal ritual for the 22-year-old, dressed in a ball cap and a wool overshirt, whose perch — just over 300 yards up a rocky incline from the United States-Mexico border wall — had become a round-the-clock boarding space for people who had crossed unlawfully onto American soil.
—Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Designing a garden to absorb moisture and avoid excess rainwater run-off is a necessity in a community like Del Mar with its steep inclines, says Prange.
—Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The hike follows a wide dirt path and is mostly easy, though there are some inclines on the second half.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
This was the 8th excavation period for this shipwreck, located on a particularly treacherous incline that was – over time – causing the wreck to become covered in sediment, according to a March 22 news release from Greece’s Ministry of Culture.
—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
One important thing to note about all baby swings: Because babies lie on an incline in swings, these are not safe sleep spaces, and babies should never be left unattended in a swing.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
The trail follows a wide dirt path that is flat for the majority of the hike, featuring just a few inclines.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Movement is clunky and persistently frustrating as climbing even small inclines can be inconsistent.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
The moon's orbit is inclined at about five degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun.
—The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
Convenience features: a 12-volt power outlet, 60/40 split fold down rear seatbacks, dark tint privacy glass, dual-pinion electric power assist steering, dual zone automatic climate control and incline start assist.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
These gray days tend to feel cooler, so you might be inclined to stay outside longer or forget to reapply sunscreen.
—Sarah Klein, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
The Moon's orbit is inclined at about five degrees relative to Earth's orbit around the sun.
—The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
Officers subject to partisan litmus tests might be inclined to bend those rules.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 20 Mar. 2024
The drill holes were mainly placed in step-out rows subparallel to the 2017-2018 drilling, oriented with azimuths 230 - 260, generally inclined at minus 65 degrees from horizontal.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
In an era inclined to narrative and political art, Tiler Peck is not afraid to give us the pure pleasure of music and dance.
—Jennifer Homans, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Performed in 1979, Resonances was rigorously choreographed to appear spontaneous, evading governmental restrictions on collective action while simultaneously extending collective action to include people who might not be inclined to act on their own.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
The treadmill was pre-set at a high rate of speed and a high incline.
—Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
This was a nocturnal ritual for the 22-year-old, dressed in a ball cap and a wool overshirt, whose perch — just over 300 yards up a rocky incline from the United States-Mexico border wall — had become a round-the-clock boarding space for people who had crossed unlawfully onto American soil.
—Emily Baumgaertner, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Designing a garden to absorb moisture and avoid excess rainwater run-off is a necessity in a community like Del Mar with its steep inclines, says Prange.
—Christine Lennon, Sunset Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
The hike follows a wide dirt path and is mostly easy, though there are some inclines on the second half.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024
This was the 8th excavation period for this shipwreck, located on a particularly treacherous incline that was – over time – causing the wreck to become covered in sediment, according to a March 22 news release from Greece’s Ministry of Culture.
—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
One important thing to note about all baby swings: Because babies lie on an incline in swings, these are not safe sleep spaces, and babies should never be left unattended in a swing.
—Chaunie Brusie, Rn, Parents, 7 Mar. 2024
The trail follows a wide dirt path that is flat for the majority of the hike, featuring just a few inclines.
—Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2024
Movement is clunky and persistently frustrating as climbing even small inclines can be inconsistent.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'incline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near incline
Cite this Entry
“Incline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incline. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incline
1 of 2 verb
in·cline
in-ˈklīn 
inclined; inclining
1
: to bend the head or body forward : bow
2
: to be drawn to an opinion or course of action
inclined to go swimming
4
: to cause to bend, bow, or slant
5
: to have influence on : persuade
my teacher's example inclined me to become a teacher too
inclinable
adjective
in-ˈklī-nə-bəl
incline
2 of 2 noun
in·cline
ˈin-ˌklīn
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