slack

[ slak ]

/ slæk /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slack ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose: a slack rope.

negligent; careless; remiss: slack proofreading.

slow, sluggish, or indolent: He is slack in answering letters.

not active or busy; dull; not brisk: the slack season in an industry.

moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water.

weak; lax.

Nautical. easy(def 15a).

adverb

in a slack manner.

noun

a slack condition or part.

the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.

a decrease in activity, as in business or work: a sudden slack in output.

a period of decreased activity.

Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn.

a depression between hills, in a hillside, or in the land surface.

Prosody. (in sprung rhythm) the unaccented syllable or syllables.

British Dialect. a morass; marshy ground; a hollow or dell with soft, wet ground at the bottom.

verb (used with object)

to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone: He slacked the most important part.

to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed by up).

to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off or out).

to slake (lime).

verb (used without object)

to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.

to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed by up): Business is slacking up.

to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.

to become slaked, as lime.

Nearby words

slab top, slab track, slab-sided, slabber, slabbery, slack, slack off, slack suit, slack water, slack-baked, slack-jawed

Idioms

take up the slack,

to pull in or make taut a loose section of a rope, line, wire, etc.: Take up the slack before releasing the kite.
to provide or compensate for something that is missing or incomplete: New sources of oil will take up the slack resulting from the embargo.

Origin of slack

before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax

SYNONYMS FOR slack

1 relaxed.

2 lazy, weak.

3 dilatory, tardy, late.

4 idle, quiet.

11 slowing, relaxation.

17 neglect.

18 reduce, slacken.

21 malinger.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slack ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

slack·ing·ly, adverbslack·ly, adverbslack·ness, nounun·slacked, adjective

un·slack·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for slacking

On the other hand, Speedman spent his late 20s in New York, slacking off.
‘The Vow’: What Happened to ‘Felicity’ Hunk Scott Speedman?|Ramin Setoodeh|February 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Mind, I speak as a friend," he added, slacking his horses' pace and poising his whip.
A Bottle in the Smoke|Milne Rae
While not slacking himself, he "kept an eye" on his partner as best he could.
Labrador Days|Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
Jerry and Bob lowered him carefully down the shaft, until the slacking of the rope told that he was at the bottom.
The Motor Boys in Mexico|Clarence Young

But it is a disgrace to be beaten for slacking either at games or work.
The Loom of Youth|Alec Waugh
After tea he gave him six for slacking: and all delusions about Golding's bravery were immediately dispelled.
The Loom of Youth|Alec Waugh

British Dictionary definitions for slacking (1 of 2)

slack

/ (slæk) /

adjective

not tight, tense, or taut

negligent or careless

(esp of water, etc) moving slowly

(of trade, etc) not busy

phonetics another term for lax (def. 4)

adverb

in a slack manner

noun

a part of a rope, etc, that is slacktake in the slack

a period of decreased activity

a patch of water without current
a slackening of a current

prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables

verb

to neglect (one's duty, etc)

(often foll by off) to loosen; to make slack

chem a less common word for slake (def. 3)

Word Origin for slack

Old English slæc, sleac; related to Old High German slah, Old Norse slākr bad, Latin laxus lax

British Dictionary definitions for slacking (2 of 2)

slack

/ (slæk) /

noun

small pieces of coal with a high ash content

Word Origin for slack

C15: probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slacking (1 of 4)

slack

adj.

Old English slæc "remiss, lax, characterized by lack of energy, sluggish, indolent, languid; slow, gentle, easy," from Proto-Germanic *slakas (cf. Old Saxon slak, Old Norse slakr, Old High German slah "slack," Middle Dutch lac "fault, lack"), from PIE root *(s)leg- "to be slack" (see lax).

Sense of "not tight" (in reference to things) is first recorded c.1300. As an adverb from late 14c. Slack-key (1975) translates Hawaiian ki ho'alu. Slack water (n.) "time when tide is not flowing" is from 1769. Slack-handed "remiss" is from 1670s. Slack-baked "baked imperfectly, half-baked" is from 1823; figuratively from 1840.

Word Origin and History for slacking (1 of 4)

slack

n.2

"coal dust," mid-15c., sleck, of uncertain origin, probably related to Middle Dutch slacke, Middle Low German slecke "slag, small pieces left after coal is screened," perhaps related to slagge "splinter flying off metal when it is struck" (see slag (n.)).

Word Origin and History for slacking (2 of 4)

slack

n.1

early 14c., "cessation" (of pain, grief, etc.), from slack (adj.). Meaning "a cessation of flow in a current or tide" is from 1756; that of "still stretch of a river" is from 1825. Meaning "loose part or end" (of a rope, sail, etc.) is from 1794; hence figurative senses in take up the slack (1930 figuratively) and slang cut (someone) some slack (1968). Meaning "quiet period, lull" is from 1851. Slacks "loose trousers" first recorded 1824, originally military.

Word Origin and History for slacking (3 of 4)

slack

1510s, "to moderate, make slack," back-formed from slack (adj.) after the original verb veered into the specialized sense of slake. Meaning "be remiss, inactive or idle, fail to exert oneself" is attested from 1540s; current use is probably a re-coining from c.1904 (see slacker, and cf. Old English slacful "lazy," sleacmodnes "laziness"). Related: Slacked; slacking.

slack

adjective

adverb

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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British Dictionary definitions for slacking (1 of 2)

slack

adjective

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slack

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slack

Word Origin and History for slacking (1 of 4)

slack

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slack

slack

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adverb

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of slack

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British Dictionary definitions for.css-ylq2vz{color:#1a1a1a;} slacking (1 of 2)

slack

adjective

adverb

noun

verb

Word Origin for slack

British Dictionary definitions for slacking (2 of 2)

slack

noun

Word Origin for slack

Word Origin and History for slacking (1 of 4)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacking (1 of 4)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacking (2 of 4)

slack

Word Origin and History for slacking (3 of 4)

slack

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for slacking (1 of 2)