What does slaking mean?
“Slaking” means satisfying or reducing a powerful need, most commonly thirst. Its clearest use is in “slaking one's thirst,” where it describes drinking or otherwise taking in something that relieves dryness and thirst. The verb can also be used figuratively for relieving an intense craving, longing, or other felt need. Although perfectly understandable in modern English, “slaking” sounds more literary and traditional than the plainer “quenching.” The word belongs to the same historical family as “slack” and “slacken”: older senses of slake referred to making something less intense or less demanding. Its present meaning has narrowed chiefly to thirst and its figurative extensions. In formal writing, “slaking” can lend an elevated tone, while “quenching” is usually the more natural everyday choice when describing thirst.
verbSatisfying or diminishing thirst, or, figuratively, relieving a strong need or desire. It is the present participle of the verb “slake.”
- Satisfying or quenching thirst.
- Figuratively, relieving or diminishing a strong need, craving, or desire.
"The cool spring water was enough for slaking the weary travelers' thirst."
"After the long climb, they stopped by the stream to slake their thirst."
"The quiet hour in the library was slaking her longing for solitude."
To slake your thirst is literally to make it less intense—refreshment is the original sense behind the phrase.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does slaking come from?
The verb “slake” comes from Old English “slacian,” originally meaning to make slack, diminish, or abate. It is related to “slack” and forms such as “slacken” and “slackness.” Over time, the word came to mean satisfy or diminish thirst, and by extension relieve a strong need or desire.
Related word forms
How slaking is actually used
The word is literary and somewhat formal in contemporary use. It normally appears in the present participle “slaking” and is especially frequent in the expression “slake one's thirst.”