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 /

verb

1. to criticize harshly; censure

2. to punish or defeat severely

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slate ² 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 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

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)

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

Prince Mohammed has plowed funds over the past decade into a slate of projects with extraordinarily complex engineering requirements aimed at signaling the kingdom’s modernization and drawing investment and tourism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Morgan ahead of a slate of data readouts for compelling pipeline candidates.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

He was part of a hastily arranged “reform” slate meant to steer the union past a corruption scandal that sent two former UAW presidents to federal prison.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

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

He is a clean slate, something new in my life.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Opponents of the deal, which a coalition of 12 states have sued to block on antitrust grounds, and even some supporters note that Ellison’s plan would defy a decadeslong trend of shrinking studio film slates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Footage shared by the country's prime minister office shows soliders carrying survivors and crawling across thick slates of mud to reach others.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Campaigns scrambled to offer their own slates of delegates who they thought would be pledged to them.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Magazines, of course, didn’t originate the longstanding trope of a new year as a site of reinvention, clean slates, new leaves.

From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2026

Besides, she personally found poetry very interesting, and since her students were more or less blank slates when it came to literature, she felt she might as well do what she liked.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

Government lawyers acknowledged that approximately 430 trees had been removed Saturday, with another 299 slated for removal.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

The Justice Department in a weekend filing said the ad buy was slated to end on Sunday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The rock group added 40 North American dates in May, with shows slated through Nov. 28 in San Francisco.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

It also makes the upcoming launch of Starlink Mobile, slated for 2027, more cost-effective, as low-bandwidth spectrum requires fewer cell towers than higher-frequency bands.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

As usual, District 12 is slated to go last.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

“The internet was slating these outfits,” she said in the video.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024

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

She skipped Thursday’s candidate slating, saying party leaders haven’t favored her before and weren’t going to pick her.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 14, 2016

And here we go with the usual slating.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2014

Up to the first floor, the exterior is of stone in rough-hewn blocks with a distinct batter, while extra protection from weather is afforded by green slating above.

From The Purple Cloud by M. P. (Matthew Phipps) Shiel

Related Words

• ballot
• roster