slot
1 Americannoun
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a narrow, elongated depression, groove, notch, slit, or aperture, especially a narrow opening for receiving or admitting something, as a coin or a letter.
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a place or position, as in a sequence or series.
The program received a new time slot on the broadcasting schedule.
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Linguistics. (especially in tagmemics) a position having a specific grammatical function within a construction into which any one of a set of morphemes or morpheme sequences can be fit.
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an assignment or job opening; position.
I applied for the slot in management training.
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Journalism.
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the interior opening in a copy desk, occupied by the chief copy editor.
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the job or position of chief copy editor.
He had the slot at the Gazette for 20 years.
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an allocated, scheduled time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, as authorized by an airport or air-traffic authority.
40 more slots for the new airline at U.S. airports.
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Informal. slot machine.
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Aeronautics. slat12
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Ornithology. a narrow notch or other similar opening between the tips of the primaries of certain birds, which during flight helps to maintain a smooth flow of air over the wings.
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Ice Hockey. an unmarked area near the front of an opponent's goal that affords a vantage for an attacking player.
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Computers. expansion slot.
verb (used with object)
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slots,
present (3rd person singular)
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slotted,
past participle, past
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slotting
present participle
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to provide with a slot or slots; make a slot in.
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to place or fit into a slot.
We've slotted his appointment for four o'clock.
verb (used without object)
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slots,
present (3rd person singular)
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slotted,
past participle, past
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slotting
present participle
noun
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the track or trail of a deer or other animal, as shown by the marks of the feet.
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a track, trace, or trail of something.
noun
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an elongated aperture or groove, such as one in a vending machine for inserting a coin
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an air passage in an aerofoil to direct air from the lower to the upper surface, esp the gap formed behind a slat
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a vertical opening between the leech of a foresail and a mast or the luff of another sail through which air spills from one against the other to impart forward motion
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informal a place in a series or scheme
verb
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(tr) to furnish with a slot or slots
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to fit or adjust in a slot
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informal to situate or be situated in a series or scheme
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slotsimple
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slotssimple
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have slottedperfect
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has slottedperfect
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am slottingprogressive
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are slottingprogressive
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is slottingprogressive
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have been slottingperfect progressive
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has been slottingperfect progressive
Past
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slottedsimple
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had slottedperfect
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was slottingprogressive
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were slottingprogressive
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had been slottingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slot1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “hollow at the base of the throat above the breastbone,” from Old French esclot; further origin unclear
Origin of slot2
First recorded in 1565–75; from Anglo-French, Old French esclot “the hoofprint of a horse,” probably from Old Norse slōth “track, trail”; see also sleuthhound
Explanation
A thin opening or groove in something is a slot. You can put letters and postcards through the mail slot at the post office. A gum ball machine has a slot for inserting a coin, and some front doors have a special slot for mail carriers to put mail in. A screwdriver fits neatly into the slot on top of a screw. Another kind of slot is a space in a schedule or calendar: "I have a half-hour slot on Thursday for our meeting." In the 14th century, a slot was "the hollow above the breastbone."
Vocabulary lists containing slot
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
His latest provided the opener in his side's 2-0 win at Sunderland on Saturday, a slide-rule pass finding Maxim de Cuyper to slot home.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Musk, worth a cool $1 trillion according to Forbes, would slot in at number 23 — just behind Poland, at $1.04 trillion, and ahead of Taiwan, at $920 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
With “To Catch a Predator” already a hit, NBC execs decide to move the show to a primetime slot to capitalize on its success.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
And so he promotes the show to a choice primetime slot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The shiny chrome-and-glass cafeteria, where customers inserted nickels into a slot and turned a knob to open a glass door for their food, was one of George Dasch's favorite restaurants.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
In their plea agreements, the Kim brothers admitted that, beginning around 2021, they reserved thousands of slots at numerous L.A.-area golf courses and resold them to members of the public for a fee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Whoever the remaining members of the board — which include Vance — select to fill those slots will help determine who is chosen to replace Bunch as secretary, and the institution’s future course.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Known as Porchfests, this trend involves a community-driven effort to organize and schedule a day of live performances in a residential area, with musicians of all skill levels and genres performing in assigned time slots.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Prices for those slots typically depend on the type and volume of cargo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
At the back of this room, a row of thin metal slots looked out onto the main hallway of the cell block.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
Fewer than 60 petitions annually get slotted for oral arguments and full review.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Being slotted behind a striker highlighted Goretzka's strengths as a goalscorer.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
The £117m signing slotted in his side's second goal after Fulham midfielder Josh King had cancelled out Joao Pedro's opener, which came within 31 seconds.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Luz Mary Gonzalez, a teacher, sat on the ground with a dozen more volunteers, writing messages of solidarity to be slotted into donation boxes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
With Teller’s dawning realization that he might not be slotted in for the role of supreme authority at Livermore, his old habit of undermine-and-conquer returned.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Newman said that slotting the lieutenant governor into the role of governor in the event of a recall would follow a precedent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Maradona later scored what became known as the 'goal of the century' in the same game, dribbling past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Shilton.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“I see him slotting into relief and being a two-or-three-inning guy,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
It’s an admirable acknowledgement of those behind the scenes, slotting film reels into the Dryden’s 75-year-old projectors, summoning shimmering worlds before our eyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
A little apart from them, an old woman was heading arrows: slotting needle-fine flakes of flint into the shafts, then gluing them in place with a paste of pine.blood and beeswax.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
