slate

¹ American  

[sleyt] / 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  

[sleyt] / 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

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

“It was an opportunity,” Fuld said, “to take on a whole new slate of challenges,”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

He’s working from a relatively clean slate, and experiencing all of the privileges and drawbacks that come with it.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

For Isaak Hewitt, moving to Cardiff for university - where he knew no-one - was a "completely blank slate".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

This allows them to retain their core information but wipe the slate clean with tracking their spending.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

The smoke of hearthfires lingered blue over the slate roofs of little towns among those hills, a pleasant sight in the vast sameness of the sea.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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

The new nominating process will see the 16 county parties elect slates of delegates, 601 in total, who will in turn vote to select the new nominee at a July 25 convention in Bangor.

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

“They used slates like these and wrote their answers down to show their teacher.”

From "Fish in a Tree" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

The new release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” is slated for Nov. 19 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It marks the first major release in the franchise since 2013.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026

A planned four-hour walkout that day had been scrapped, but one slated for Tuesday may still take place, the representative said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

The Neptun Deep project is set to become the largest gas producer in Romania, with production slated to start next year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

President Donald Trump has backed away from imposing new 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods that had been slated to kick in early Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

I don’t know him, obviously, and he might turn out to be insanely destructive—he is outside in the middle of the night on a day he’s slated for death, after all.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

But the slating from fans has made Neymar reconsider his future, and attracted fresh blasts for his attitude.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2016

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

Interesting watching all the local news people at Bolton slating the Andy Kellett transfer around an hour and a half before it was completed.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2015

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