Tilt Definition and Meaning
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 5, 2024
Tilt means to move or cause to move into a position with one side or end higher than the other. e.g., He had to tilt his chair back to reach the book on the shelf.
Table of Contents
Tilt Definitions
Lean at an Angle: To incline from a vertical position; slant.
The tower appears to tilt slightly to the left.
Slope Surface: To make a surface lean so that it is not flat.
The road tilts downward as it approaches the river.
Adjust Angle for View: Changing the angle of an object for better visibility or operation.
She tilted the mirror to see the back of her hair.
Jousting Term: Entering into a joust or combat on horseback.
Knights would tilt at each other in tournaments.
Prejudice or Bias: To influence unfairly; bias.
The news coverage seemed to tilt in favor of one candidate.
Aim or Direct: To point or direct at a target.
He tilted his camera to capture the sunset.
Unbalance: To cause to lose balance or stability.
The heavy load on the cart made it tilt.
Tip Over: To cause to fall over from tilting too far.
The vase tilted and fell off the table.
Shift Opinion or Attitude: To change one's opinion or attitude slightly.
The debate did little to tilt public opinion.
To cause to slope, as by raising one end; incline
Tilt a soup bowl.
Tilt a chair backward.
To cause to be advantageous to one party rather than another
A development that tilted the balance of trade in their favor.
To aim or thrust (a lance) in a joust.
To charge (an opponent); attack.
To forge with a tilt hammer.
To slope; incline
The field tilts toward the river.
To have a preference, favor, or be inclined toward something
She recently tilted toward vegetarianism.
To be advantageous to one side over another, as in a dispute
"The battle ... was beginning to tilt again in the Confederates' favor" (Stephen W. Sears).
To fight with lances; joust.
To engage in a combat or struggle; fight
Tilting at injustices.
To cover (a vehicle) with a canopy or an awning.
The act of tilting or the condition of being tilted.
An inclination from the horizontal or vertical; a slant
Adjusting the tilt of a writing table.
A sloping surface, as of the ground.
A tendency to favor one side in a dispute
The court's tilt toward conservative rulings.
A preference, inclination, or bias
"pitilessly illuminates the inaccuracies and tilts of the press" (Nat Hentoff).
A medieval sport in which two mounted knights with lances charged together and attempted to unhorse one another.
A thrust or blow with a lance.
A combat, especially a verbal one; a debate.
A tilt hammer.
New England See seesaw.
A canopy or an awning for a boat, wagon, or cart.
(transitive) To slope or incline (something); to slant.
Tilt the barrel to pour out its contents.
(intransitive) To be at an angle.
To charge (at someone) with a lance.
(transitive) To point or thrust a weapon at.
(transitive) To point or thrust (a weapon).
To forge (something) with a tilt hammer.
To tilt steel in order to render it more ductile
To intentionally let the ball fall down to the drain by disabling flippers and most targets, done as a punishment to the player when the machine is nudged too violently or frequently.
To play worse than usual (often as a result of previous bad luck or losses).
(transitive) To cover with a tilt, or awning.
A slope or inclination.
The inclination of part of the body, such as backbone, pelvis, head, etc.
(photography) The controlled vertical movement of a camera, or a device to achieve this.
A jousting contest. (countable)
An attempt at something, such as a tilt at public office.
A thrust, as with a lance.
A tilt hammer.
A canvas covering for carts, boats, etc.
Any covering overhead; especially, a tent.
A covering overhead; especially, a tent.
The cloth covering of a cart or a wagon.
A cloth cover of a boat; a small canopy or awning extended over the sternsheets of a boat.
A thrust, as with a lance.
A military exercise on horseback, in which the combatants attacked each other with lances; a tournament.
See Tilt hammer, in the Vocabulary.
Inclination forward; as, the tilt of a cask.
To cover with a tilt, or awning.
To incline; to tip; to raise one end of for discharging liquor; as, to tilt a barrel.
To point or thrust, as a lance.
Sons against fathers tilt the fatal lance.
To point or thrust a weapon at.
To hammer or forge with a tilt hammer; as, to tilt steel in order to render it more ductile.
To run or ride, and thrust with a lance; to practice the military game or exercise of thrusting with a lance, as a combatant on horseback; to joust; also, figuratively, to engage in any combat or movement resembling that of horsemen tilting with lances.
He tiltsWith piercing steel at bold Mercutio's breast.
Swords out, and tilting one at other's breast.
But in this tournament can no man tilt.
The fleet, swift tilting, o'er the urges flew.
To lean; to fall partly over; to tip.
The trunk of the body is kept from tilting forward by the muscles of the back.
A combat between two mounted knights tilting against each other with blunted lances
A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement;
They were involved in a violent argument
A slight but noticeable partiality;
The court's tilt toward conservative rulings
The property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical;
The tower had a pronounced tilt
The ship developed a list to starboard
He walked with a heavy inclination to the right
Pitching dangerously to one side
To incline or bend from a vertical position;
She leaned over the banister
Heel over;
The tower is tilting
The ceiling is slanting
Move sideways or in an unsteady way;
The ship careened out of control
Charge with a tilt
Angle of Competition: To enter into a competition or challenge.
They tilted for the championship in the final game.
Tilt Snonyms
Lean
To incline or bend from a vertical position.
The tree leans towards the house.
Slant
To slope in a particular direction; to incline.
The roof slants at a steep angle.
Tip
To cause to tilt or incline.
She tipped the bottle to pour the liquid.
Pitch
To set at a particular pitch or angle.
The ship pitched in the heavy seas.
Angle
To move or be positioned at an angle.
He angled his camera to get a better shot.
Cant
To have a slanting or oblique line; tilt.
The floor cants slightly to the drain.
Dip
To lower or drop down.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
Incline
To deviate from the horizontal or vertical; to slant.
The path inclines steeply up the hill.
List
To cause to lean to one side.
The heavy load caused the boat to list.
Skew
To turn or place at an angle.
The mirror was skewed to one side.
Tilt Idioms & Phrases
Tilt the balance
To cause a change in a situation that gives an advantage to one side.
The sudden resignation of the CEO tilted the balance in the power struggle within the company.
Tilt the scales
Similar to "tilt the balance," it means to influence a situation to favor one outcome over another.
The eyewitness testimony tilted the scales in favor of the defense.
Tilt at windmills
To fight imaginary enemies or to attack inconsequential problems.
Arguing about this issue is like tilting at windmills; it's not going to change anything.
On tilt
In a state of confusion or disarray, often due to a series of bad experiences or losses.
After losing three games in a row, the player was completely on tilt.
Go into a tilt
To become upset, agitated, or angry.
He went into a tilt after hearing the unfair criticism against his work.
Tilt the table
To unfairly manipulate conditions or rules to benefit oneself.
Accusations flew that the committee had tilted the table to favor their preferred candidate.
Have a tilt at
To attempt or try something.
I've never tried sushi before, but I'm willing to have a tilt at it.
Full tilt
At maximum speed or capacity.
The team worked full tilt to finish the project before the deadline.
Put someone's nose out of tilt
To annoy or irritate someone.
His constant lateness is starting to put my nose out of tilt.
Tilt the odds
To change the likelihood of an outcome.
Practicing every day tilted the odds in his favor for winning the competition.
Throw into tilt
To cause to be in a state of disorder or confusion.
The unexpected news threw the entire plan into tilt.
At a tilt
Positioned at an angle; not straight.
The picture hung at a tilt, bothering everyone who noticed it.
Set the world at a tilt
To cause disruption or upheaval.
The revolutionary new technology set the world at a tilt, changing industries overnight.
Come off at a tilt
To emerge in a situation slightly skewed or off-course.
The project came off at a tilt, not quite meeting the original vision.
Tilt against
To oppose or compete against something with little chance of success.
It feels like tilting against a giant when trying to argue with the bureaucracy.
Tilt one's lance at
To direct one's efforts or attacks against someone or something.
The activist tilted her lance at the corporation, accusing it of environmental negligence.
Keep the world on a tilt
To maintain a dynamic or unstable situation.
His unpredictable decisions keep the whole department on a tilt.
In full tilt boogie
Going at full speed or energy, often without consideration for potential consequences.
The startup went into full tilt boogie mode to get their app launched on time.
Tilt towards/away from
To show a preference for or against something.
Her opinions have recently tilted towards more conservative viewpoints.
Tilt one's hand
To reveal one's intentions or strategy prematurely.
By protesting too loudly, he tilted his hand, and they guessed his true motive.
Tilt Example Sentences
The sailor tilted the sail to catch the wind better.
The table was tilting, so they put a book under one leg to stabilize it.
The sunflowers tilt towards the sun as it moves across the sky.
The boat began to tilt dangerously in the strong waves.
They tilted their hats against the sun to protect their faces.
He tilted his head, puzzled by the question.
She had to tilt the bottle to pour the last bit of juice.
She tilted her screen away so her friend couldn't see her messages.
The pilot tilted the aircraft as it turned.
The picture on the wall was tilting; it needed to be straightened.
He gently tilted her chin up to wipe away a tear.
The weight of the apples caused the branch to tilt downwards.
The players tilted at each other fiercely in the video game.
She tilted the lampshade to direct more light onto her book.
The seesaw tilted under their uneven weights.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in tilt?
There is one syllable in "tilt."
How do we divide tilt into syllables?
Since "tilt" has only one syllable, it is not divided.
Why is it called tilt?
"Tilt" comes from the Middle English word "tilten," meaning to cause to lean or incline, possibly deriving from the Old English "telt" (tent), reflecting the action of setting up tents at an angle or the jousting practice where knights would tilt at each other.
How is tilt used in a sentence?
He had to tilt his head to avoid hitting the low doorway.
What is a stressed syllable in tilt?
The entire word "tilt" is stressed, as it consists of only one syllable.
What is the root word of tilt?
The root word is "tilt," derived from Middle English "tilten."
What is the singular form of tilt?
The singular form is "tilt."
What is the third form of tilt?
The third form of "tilt" is also "tilted."
What part of speech is tilt?
"Tilt" can be both a verb (meaning to cause to lean) and a noun (meaning an inclination).
Is tilt a noun or adjective?
"Tilt" can be a noun or a verb, but it is not commonly used as an adjective.
Is tilt an adverb?
No, "tilt" is not an adverb.
What is the verb form of tilt?
The verb form is "to tilt."
What is the pronunciation of tilt?
Tilt is pronounced as /tɪlt/ in American English.
Which vowel is used before tilt?
The question of which vowel comes before "tilt" depends on the specific construction of the sentence; there is no fixed vowel that precedes "tilt."
What is the first form of tilt?
The first form of "tilt" is "tilt."
What is another term for tilt?
Another term for "tilt" is "lean" or "inclination."
What is the plural form of tilt?
The plural form is "tilts."
What is the second form of tilt?
The second form of "tilt" is "tilted."
Is tilt an abstract noun?
"Tilt," when used as a noun, is not abstract; it refers to a concrete action or state of leaning.
Is tilt a vowel or consonant?
The word "tilt" contains both vowels and consonants but as a whole is neither. It starts with the consonant "t."
Is the word tilt Gerund?
The gerund form of "tilt" is "tilting."
Is the word “tilt” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Tilt" can be the direct object in a sentence, especially when used as a noun. It does not serve as an indirect object.
Which conjunction is used with tilt?
Conjunctions used with "tilt" depend on the sentence structure, such as "and," "but," or "or."
Which article is used with tilt?
Both "a" and "the" can be used with "tilt," depending on whether it is being referred to in a specific or general sense.
Is tilt a negative or positive word?
"Tilt" is neutral; it can have positive, negative, or neutral connotations depending on the context.
Is tilt a collective noun?
No, "tilt" is not a collective noun.
Is the tilt term a metaphor?
"Tilt" can be used metaphorically to describe an inclination towards a particular viewpoint or bias.
Which determiner is used with tilt?
Determiners such as "a," "the," "this," or "that" can be used with "tilt" depending on the context.
What is the opposite of tilt?
The opposite of "tilt" could be "level" or "straighten."
Is tilt a countable noun?
Yes, when used as a noun, "tilt" is countable (e.g., "several tilts").
Is the word tilt imperative?
"Tilt" can be used in the imperative form as a command, such as "Tilt the bottle."
Which preposition is used with tilt?
Common prepositions used with "tilt" include "towards," "at," and "away from."
Share Your Discovery
Previous Term
Completing Definition and Meaning
Next Term
Makeover Definition and MeaningAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
