slate

¹ American  

[slayt] / sleɪt /

noun

• slates
  plural

1. a fine-grained rock formed by the metamorphosis of clay, shale, etc., that tends to split along parallel cleavage planes, usually at an angle to the planes of stratification.

2. a thin, flat piece or plate of fine-grained, easily split rock or a similar material, used especially for roofing or as a writing surface.

3. slate gray.

4. a list of candidates, officers, etc., to be considered for nomination, appointment, election, or the like.

   He has added his name to the slate of mayoral candidates.

5. tablet.

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verb (used with object)

slated, slating

1. to cover with plates of fine-grained, easily split rock or a similar material.

   Our team has years of experience with slating and tiling roofs.

2. to write or set down for nomination or appointment.

   There are 39 lawyers hoping to be slated for judge.

3. to plan or designate (something) for a particular place and time; schedule.

   The premiere was slated for January.

4. Chiefly British. to censure, scold, or criticize harshly.

   She was slated by the press for making exaggerated claims in her memoir.

5. to punish severely.

idioms

1. clean slate, a record containing no negative reports, notes about bad behavior, reprimands, failures, etc..

   After a talk with the boss about his misconduct, he was allowed to start over with a clean slate.

slate ² American  

[slayt] / sleɪt /

verb (used with object)

British Dialect.

slated, slating

1. to sic or set a dog on (a person or animal).

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slate ¹ British  

/ sleɪt /

noun

1. 1. a compact fine-grained metamorphic rock formed by the effects of heat and pressure on shale. It can be split into thin layers along natural cleavage planes and is used as a roofing and paving material

   2. ( as modifier )

      a slate tile

2. a roofing tile of slate

3. (formerly) a writing tablet of slate

4. a dark grey colour, often with a purplish or bluish tinge

5. a list of candidates in an election

6. films

   1. the reference information written on a clapperboard

   2. informal the clapperboard itself

7. a record without dishonour

8. informal to be eccentric or crazy

9. informal on credit

10. informal to make a fresh start, esp by forgetting past differences

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verb

1. to cover (a roof) with slates

2. to enter (a person's name) on a list, esp on a political slate

3. 1. to choose or destine

      he was slated to go far

   2. to plan or schedule

      the trial is slated to begin in three weeks

adjective

1. of the colour slate

slate ² British  

/ sleɪt /

verb

1. to criticize harshly; censure

2. to punish or defeat severely

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slate Scientific  

/ slāt /

1. A fine-grained metamorphic rock that forms when shale undergoes metamorphosis. Slate splits into thin layers with smooth surfaces. It ranges in color from gray to black or from red to green, depending on the minerals contained in the shale from which it formed.

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slate More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing slate

• clean slate

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• slates
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of slate¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sclate, from Middle French esclate, feminine of esclat “piece split off”; see slat ¹

Origin of slate²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English slaiten, from Old Norse sleita (unrecorded)

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Explanation

Slate is a type of gray metamorphic rock that is made up of quartz and other minerals. The rock can be split into thin layers and the slate used for things like roofing tiles. In the past when paper was expensive, schoolchildren used slates to do their school work. These were usually made of actual slate rock. Students could practice their writing on the slate with a slate pencil. When they were done, the slate could be erased, which gave rise to the term "clean slate." If you've done things in the past you aren't proud of, you may hope to start over with a clean slate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slate slates slated slating

Before the acquisition, 20th Century Fox routinely released 12 to 17 movies annually in theatres, but under Disney that slate scaled down to just three to six a year.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

A slate of contract manufacturers stretching from Italy to India to Thailand and beyond shape it into jewelry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

A slate of new policies are pushing back against dynamic pricing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Matching the success of the 2025 film slate was always going to be a tall order, particularly when so many of Warner Bros.’ movies that year overperformed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

It had a stone mantelpiece and a slate hearthstone on which Francie could draw pictures with chalk.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

But although the faithful had successfully detected a traitor, and even managed to spell his name correctly on their slates, the first round table saw some other players behave in ways that immediately aroused suspicion.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Jackson campaign, for example, has rolled out slates of delegates who promise to vote for Jackson at the convention in all of Maine’s counties.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

They’re not cardboard cutouts, exactly, but they’re blank enough slates for us to project onto.

From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026

They did their jobs, but they were kind of blank slates and you never saw them in the news after they retired.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

A raw dirt alley confronted me, heaped with stacks of slates and wooden boards like grave cairns.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

The movie is slated to hit theaters on Feb. 18, 2028.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

The government touts the initiative as a significant "investment in Rwanda's future", slated for sometime in the early 2030s.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Its launch, initially slated for 2014, had been indefinitely postponed after North Korea halted construction of its roads and customs facilities, as relations with Beijing turned frosty.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

With a strategy update slated for December, management’s priority will remain firmly focused on deleveraging, she says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In 1927 best friends Tommy Luther and Earl “Sandy” Graham were slated to ride a pair of stablemates in the same race at Winnipeg’s Polo Park.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

"He was slating Nicola, saying she was lying," said Becky, who then discussed the investigation with another victim, who we're referring to as Charlotte.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2023

The Legislature voted this year to ban most private detention facilities in the state, slating the detention center for closure in 2025, when its contract with the federal government ends.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 11, 2021

However, I’m just not into slating Madonna and not just because I’m heartily sick of everyone else doing so.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 15, 2018

This is also the last year that the tactic of slating is likely to work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2016

Somebody in their papers has been slating the Dayspring properties, and there's a good deal of stock they couldn't work off.

From A Damaged Reputation by Harold Bindloss

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Related Words

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