slew
2026-10-01 · 2 min · 10 entities
Asserted relationships
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Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
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concepts 8
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companys 2
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Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
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Feed author/publisher: Merriam-Webster
Episode description as stored
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 1, 2026 is:
slew \SLOO\ noun
Slew is an informal word for a large number of people or things.
// The pile of junk mail included a slew of catalogs.
See the entry >
Examples:
“The nonalcoholic drinks category has expanded so much in recent years that it’s not uncommon to find a list of thoughtful, complex nonalcoholic beverages on a bar or restaurant’s cocktail menu—yes, even outside of the major cities. And it’s even easier to enjoy alcohol-free beverages at home thanks to a slew of brands making really good alcohol alternatives that you can order online and have delivered directly to your door.” — Carina Finn and Emily Farris, Bon Appétit , 31 Dec. 2025
Did you know?
Slew appeared as an American colloquialism in the early 19th century. Its origins are unclear, but it may have come from the Irish word slua , a descendant of slúag , an Old Irish word meaning “army,” “host,” or “throng.” Indeed, the earliest known uses of slew appear in a martial context, from a historical novel by Daniel Pierce Thompson about Vermont and the Green Mountain Boys, a militia organized in Vermont during the American Revolution. In one scene, one of the Boys tells leader Ethan Allen that “there’s more than a hundred slew of men coming!” Later, British General Burgoyne is said to have “drawn up a whole slew of cannon.” But despite this early military setting, slew is not limited to troops or artillery; a slew of data shows the word describing nearly anything existing in abundance.