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 new policies are pushing back against dynamic pricing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Under film chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, Warner Bros. developed a reputation for auteur-driven, original stories, particularly after the success of the 2025 slate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Investors will now turn to a busy slate of U.S. economic data this week, including job openings, the ADP employment report, personal-consumption expenditures and nonfarm payrolls, for clues on the Fed’s next policy move.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

It had a grey slate roof and one small chimney, and there were two little windows at the front.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

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

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

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

She tapped a finger on each answer before setting their slates down on the desk.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Controllers, members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, were slated to get a pay raise of 3.8% under a law that authorized the bump.

From The Wall Street Journal ● 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

After a setback in May, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is slated to launch before the end of the year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 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

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

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021

Network executives were already tinkering with the reinvention, but slating “Nashville” for a January premiere helped speed up the process.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2017

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

A bailee received some cheese and gave a receipt slating that it was to be kept at the owner's risk of loss from water.

From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Albert Sidney Bolles

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