Idioms are like little puzzles in language—full of character and hidden meaning. They help us express thoughts in more colorful, imaginative ways, and sometimes they say more than a regular sentence ever could. When it comes to describing something slow—whether it’s a task, a person, or even time itself—English has a whole collection of quirky and creative idioms to get the point across.
Understanding idioms for “slow” can help you describe moments when life drags its feet, people take forever to decide, or things just don’t happen in a hurry. These expressions are often used in casual conversations, stories, and even jokes, so learning them can make your speech more natural and relatable. In this article, you’ll find 42 of the most useful, humorous, and expressive idioms for slow, complete with meanings, examples, and alternatives to say the same thing in different ways. Ready to slow down and dive in?
Idioms for Slow
1. At a snail’s pace
Meaning: Moving extremely slowly.
In a Sentence: The traffic was crawling at a snail’s pace during the morning rush hour, making me late for school.
Other Ways to Say: Very slow, Like a crawl
2. As slow as molasses
Meaning: Unbelievably slow in action or progress.
In a Sentence: My old laptop boots up as slow as molasses on a cold winter morning.
Other Ways to Say: Super sluggish, Painfully slow
3. Drag one’s feet
Meaning: To deliberately delay or be unwilling to act.
In a Sentence: He kept dragging his feet about cleaning his room until his mom had to step in.
Other Ways to Say: Procrastinate, Stall
4. Inching along
Meaning: Progressing slowly, step by step.
In a Sentence: The line at the coffee shop was inching along, and I thought I’d never get my morning latte.
Other Ways to Say: Moving slowly, Little by little
5. Take one’s sweet time
Meaning: To do something slowly, without any hurry.
In a Sentence: She took her sweet time choosing what to wear, even though we were already late.
Other Ways to Say: No rush, Leisurely pace
6. Like watching paint dry
Meaning: Extremely boring and slow.
In a Sentence: Sitting through that three-hour lecture felt like watching paint dry on a damp wall.
Other Ways to Say: Mind-numbingly slow, Dull and slow
7. Slow as a turtle
Meaning: Very slow, especially in movement.
In a Sentence: He’s slow as a turtle when it comes to finishing his homework—always the last one done.
Other Ways to Say: Slow mover, Takes forever
8. Move at a glacial pace
Meaning: Progressing so slowly it feels like it takes centuries.
In a Sentence: The renovation of the library is moving at a glacial pace—it’s been over a year with barely any changes.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely slow, Barely moving
9. Slower than a seven-year itch
Meaning: Describes something that seems to take a ridiculously long time.
In a Sentence: This software update is slower than a seven-year itch; it’s driving me crazy.
Other Ways to Say: Insanely slow, Eternally long
10. Crawl like a baby
Meaning: To move at an extremely slow pace, often awkwardly.
In a Sentence: After the rain, traffic was crawling like a baby all the way through downtown.
Other Ways to Say: Creep slowly, Sluggish movement
11. Plod along
Meaning: To move or work slowly, often in a dull or unexciting way.
In a Sentence: He plodded along with his chores, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
Other Ways to Say: Move slowly, Go at a sluggish pace
12. Like a herd of turtles
Meaning: A group moving very slowly and awkwardly.
In a Sentence: Our class walked to the museum like a herd of turtles—slow, noisy, and all over the place.
Other Ways to Say: Slowly in a group, Clumsily slow
13. Take forever and a day
Meaning: To take an extremely long time.
In a Sentence: She takes forever and a day to finish getting ready for dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Takes too long, Never-ending delay
14. Sluggish as a Monday morning
Meaning: Moving or acting with very low energy.
In a Sentence: His mood was as sluggish as a Monday morning after a long weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Dragging, Lacking energy
15. Step by step
Meaning: To do something slowly and gradually, one stage at a time.
In a Sentence: We’re fixing up the house step by step, starting with the kitchen cabinets.
Other Ways to Say: Little by little, Bit by bit
16. Snail trail
Meaning: A very slow and visible progression, like the trail a snail leaves behind.
In a Sentence: The old printer left a literal snail trail as it slowly finished one page at a time.
Other Ways to Say: Slow path, Visible progress
17. In slow motion
Meaning: Moving unusually slowly, like in a film effect.
In a Sentence: As he dropped the tray, everything seemed to happen in slow motion.
Other Ways to Say: Very slowly, Gradually
18. Like molasses in January
Meaning: Extremely slow, often used in cold or unmotivated situations.
In a Sentence: His reaction time was like molasses in January—slow, sticky, and cold.
Other Ways to Say: Painfully sluggish, Freezing slow
19. Snail-like reflexes
Meaning: Responding very slowly to something.
In a Sentence: With snail-like reflexes, he missed the ball completely in gym class.
Other Ways to Say: Very slow response, Delayed reaction
20. Turtle mode
Meaning: A state of moving or functioning very slowly, often intentionally.
In a Sentence: I went into turtle mode all weekend and barely left my bed.
Other Ways to Say: Low energy mode, Moving slow on purpose
21. Creep along
Meaning: To move forward very slowly, almost unnoticeably.
In a Sentence: The old train crept along the tracks like it was scared to reach its destination.
Other Ways to Say: Move inch by inch, Advance slowly
22. Like pulling teeth
Meaning: Something slow, difficult, and unpleasant.
In a Sentence: Getting my little brother to do his homework is like pulling teeth—slow and painful.
Other Ways to Say: Hard to do, Unpleasant and slow
23. Poke along
Meaning: To travel or work slowly without urgency.
In a Sentence: We poked along the hiking trail, stopping at every flower and bird along the way.
Other Ways to Say: Take your time, Wander slowly
24. Snail-speed service
Meaning: Very slow customer service.
In a Sentence: The restaurant had great food but snail-speed service that tested everyone’s patience.
Other Ways to Say: Sluggish service, Delayed help
25. Dilly-dally
Meaning: To waste time or move too slowly.
In a Sentence: Stop dilly-dallying or we’ll miss the movie!
Other Ways to Say: Waste time, Dawdle
26. Dawdle around
Meaning: To move or act too slowly, especially when there’s a deadline.
In a Sentence: He dawdled around the house all morning instead of packing for the trip.
Other Ways to Say: Linger, Move without purpose
27. Snail crawl
Meaning: Extremely slow movement, often with visual exaggeration.
In a Sentence: The progress on our group project was a total snail crawl.
Other Ways to Say: Barely moving, Painfully slow progress
28. Like traffic on a Friday
Meaning: Something that is annoyingly slow and stuck.
In a Sentence: Trying to upload that video felt like traffic on a Friday—totally jammed.
Other Ways to Say: Slow and stuck, Delayed progress
29. Slower than a frozen clock
Meaning: Unbelievably slow or almost stopped.
In a Sentence: His typing was slower than a frozen clock—it took five minutes to write a sentence.
Other Ways to Say: Barely functioning, Super slow
30. Take ages
Meaning: To last a long time or seem to never end.
In a Sentence: This download is taking ages, and I just want to play the game already.
Other Ways to Say: Take forever, Last too long
31. Put it in low gear
Meaning: To slow down one’s pace, either physically or mentally.
In a Sentence: After a busy week, I put it in low gear and spent Sunday doing absolutely nothing.
Other Ways to Say: Slow things down, Take it easy
32. As slow as a sloth
Meaning: Very slow, especially in movement or decision-making.
In a Sentence: He’s as slow as a sloth when it comes to responding to texts—sometimes it takes days.
Other Ways to Say: Moves slowly, Lazy pace
33. Slower than a dial-up connection
Meaning: Incredibly outdated and slow, especially in tech-related tasks.
In a Sentence: My Wi-Fi was slower than a dial-up connection during the storm—nothing would load.
Other Ways to Say: Anciently slow, Tech delay
34. Like a sleepwalker
Meaning: Moving slowly and without full awareness.
In a Sentence: After pulling an all-nighter, I walked into school like a sleepwalker—dragging my feet and yawning nonstop.
Other Ways to Say: Zoned out, Moving without energy
35. Stuck in molasses
Meaning: To be slowed down or delayed in every possible way.
In a Sentence: Everything about Monday morning felt stuck in molasses—time, traffic, and even my brain.
Other Ways to Say: Everything’s delayed, Slowed to a halt
36. On a go-slow
Meaning: Intentionally reducing speed or effort, usually as a protest.
In a Sentence: The workers were on a go-slow to show their frustration with management.
Other Ways to Say: Slow protest, Work slowdown
37. Creep like a glacier
Meaning: To move forward so slowly it seems like no progress is being made.
In a Sentence: This group assignment is creeping like a glacier—we’ve barely written an introduction.
Other Ways to Say: Barely progressing, Ice-cold slow
38. Like a paused video
Meaning: Not moving at all, or just inching forward.
In a Sentence: My creativity felt like a paused video—frozen with no new ideas in sight.
Other Ways to Say: Mentally stuck, No movement
39. With the brakes on
Meaning: Moving forward with hesitation or unnecessary caution.
In a Sentence: She agreed to help with the project, but she’s doing it with the brakes on.
Other Ways to Say: Hesitant pace, Reluctant effort
40. Turtle tempo
Meaning: Describing something that is moving at an unusually slow speed.
In a Sentence: The band was playing their set at a turtle tempo—it nearly put the crowd to sleep.
Other Ways to Say: Sluggish speed, Dragging pace
41. Slower than cold syrup
Meaning: Extremely slow, especially when things are stuck or thick.
In a Sentence: That morning meeting was slower than cold syrup—nothing was getting done.
Other Ways to Say: Stuck and slow, Unmoving
42. Snail mail
Meaning: Traditional postal mail, used humorously to contrast with fast digital communication.
In a Sentence: I sent a birthday card through snail mail, and it arrived two weeks late.
Other Ways to Say: Regular mail, Slow delivery
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks with the idiom that best fits each sentence:
- When we were hiking, the group moved like a _______ of turtles up the hill.
- He always _______ his feet when it’s time to do the dishes.
- The website was loading _______ than a dial-up connection.
- I was stuck in traffic that was moving at a _______ pace for over an hour.
- She always _______ along when walking to class, even when we’re running late.
- The kids were _______ around instead of getting dressed for school.
- After the long weekend, I walked into work like a total _______.
- I like to take my _______ time when choosing a new book to read.
- Finishing that group project felt like a total _______ crawl.
- The band was playing at such a _______ tempo that everyone started yawning.
Answers:
herd, drags, slower, snail’s, pokes, dawdling, sleepwalker, sweet, snail, turtle
Conclusion
Whether it’s describing a long day, a slowpoke friend, or a painfully sluggish internet connection, these idioms give your language a creative edge. They turn frustration into humor and help you express slow moments in a more vivid, engaging way. By practicing and using these idioms, you’ll grow your vocabulary, improve your storytelling, and sound more natural in everyday conversations.
So next time you feel like things are taking forever, reach for one of these idioms. Let your language move at a turtle’s tempo—clever, colorful, and just slow enough to leave an impression. Keep practicing, and these fun expressions will become a natural part of how you speak and write every day.
