[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/sloe/)

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# sloe

noun (a sloe, sloes)

«sloe» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A sloe is a small, round, dark blue-black fruit of the blackthorn bush, very sour when raw. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#m1)
2. The blackthorn bush itself is sometimes called a sloe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#m2)

### In the lessons

Sloes grow wild in hedges in Britain and Ireland and ripen in autumn. People use them to make jam and sloe gin (a grown-up drink). In nature lessons, the blackthorn is one of the first hedges to flower white in spring. «Sloe-eyed» in old books means having dark, beautiful eyes.

### Examples

- We found sloes in the hedge on our autumn walk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x1)
- Sloes are too sour to eat straight from the bush. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x2)
- The blackthorn has white flowers in spring and sloes in autumn. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x3)
- Birds eat the sloes in winter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x4)
- Grandad makes sloe jelly every October. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x5)
- The sloes looked like tiny dark plums. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x6)
- "Now look at the sloe bush." [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/#x7)

### Note

Countable: one sloe, two sloes. Sounds the same as «slow» — a homophone; do not mix them up. Do not eat wild berries unless an adult says they are safe.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sloe» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sloe/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sloe» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sloe.html) on Mova free.