slot
1 Americannoun
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a narrow, elongated depression, groove, notch, slit, or aperture, especially a narrow opening for receiving or admitting something, as a coin or a letter.
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a place or position, as in a sequence or series.
The program received a new time slot on the broadcasting schedule.
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Linguistics. (especially in tagmemics) a position having a specific grammatical function within a construction into which any one of a set of morphemes or morpheme sequences can be fit.
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an assignment or job opening; position.
I applied for the slot in management training.
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Journalism.
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the interior opening in a copy desk, occupied by the chief copy editor.
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the job or position of chief copy editor.
He had the slot at the Gazette for 20 years.
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an allocated, scheduled time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, as authorized by an airport or air-traffic authority.
40 more slots for the new airline at U.S. airports.
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Informal. slot machine.
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Aeronautics. slat12
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Ornithology. a narrow notch or other similar opening between the tips of the primaries of certain birds, which during flight helps to maintain a smooth flow of air over the wings.
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Ice Hockey. an unmarked area near the front of an opponent's goal that affords a vantage for an attacking player.
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Computers. expansion slot.
verb (used with object)
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slots,
present (3rd person singular)
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slotted,
past participle, past
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slotting
present participle
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to provide with a slot or slots; make a slot in.
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to place or fit into a slot.
We've slotted his appointment for four o'clock.
verb (used without object)
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slots,
present (3rd person singular)
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slotted,
past participle, past
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slotting
present participle
noun
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the track or trail of a deer or other animal, as shown by the marks of the feet.
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a track, trace, or trail of something.
noun
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an elongated aperture or groove, such as one in a vending machine for inserting a coin
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an air passage in an aerofoil to direct air from the lower to the upper surface, esp the gap formed behind a slat
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a vertical opening between the leech of a foresail and a mast or the luff of another sail through which air spills from one against the other to impart forward motion
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informal a place in a series or scheme
verb
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(tr) to furnish with a slot or slots
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to fit or adjust in a slot
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informal to situate or be situated in a series or scheme
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slotsimple
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slotssimple
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have slottedperfect
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has slottedperfect
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am slottingprogressive
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are slottingprogressive
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is slottingprogressive
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have been slottingperfect progressive
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has been slottingperfect progressive
Past
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slottedsimple
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had slottedperfect
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was slottingprogressive
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were slottingprogressive
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had been slottingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slot1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “hollow at the base of the throat above the breastbone,” from Old French esclot; further origin unclear
Origin of slot2
First recorded in 1565–75; from Anglo-French, Old French esclot “the hoofprint of a horse,” probably from Old Norse slōth “track, trail”; see also sleuthhound
Explanation
A thin opening or groove in something is a slot. You can put letters and postcards through the mail slot at the post office. A gum ball machine has a slot for inserting a coin, and some front doors have a special slot for mail carriers to put mail in. A screwdriver fits neatly into the slot on top of a screw. Another kind of slot is a space in a schedule or calendar: "I have a half-hour slot on Thursday for our meeting." In the 14th century, a slot was "the hollow above the breastbone."
Vocabulary lists containing slot
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Trainers used manual manipulation to find Diaz’ ideal arm slot and build muscle memory, and he was quickly cleared to resume throwing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Musk, worth a cool $1 trillion according to Forbes, would slot in at number 23 — just behind Poland, at $1.04 trillion, and ahead of Taiwan, at $920 billion.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Andrew Jones, from Carmarthen, takes part in various events, and has even earned a slot in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii this month.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
With “To Catch a Predator” already a hit, NBC execs decide to move the show to a primetime slot to capitalize on its success.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Abuelita reached into her pocket, pulled out a worn leather coin purse and deposited six coins into the slot of the metal box in front of the iron candleholder.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Thirlwall also said she was "busy writing" a second album after a busy summer of festival performances, including slots at Reading and Leeds in August.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
In their plea agreements, the Kim brothers admitted that, beginning around 2021, they reserved thousands of slots at numerous L.A.-area golf courses and resold them to members of the public for a fee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Whoever the remaining members of the board — which include Vance — select to fill those slots will help determine who is chosen to replace Bunch as secretary, and the institution’s future course.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Known as Porchfests, this trend involves a community-driven effort to organize and schedule a day of live performances in a residential area, with musicians of all skill levels and genres performing in assigned time slots.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even faster, brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme’s oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
On the stroke of half hour, Morgan's strong carry allowed Will Trenholm to force over Gloucester's third try from close range before George Barton slotted the conversio superbly from touch.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
But even die-hard college football fans didn’t know Chambliss’s name when he slotted in second on the depth chart last autumn in Mississippi.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Luz Mary Gonzalez, a teacher, sat on the ground with a dozen more volunteers, writing messages of solidarity to be slotted into donation boxes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
In the past, studios have plucked influencers from their online niche and slotted them into whatever mainstream production needed a face.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“Nikhil’s father is upstairs,” his mother says to Maxine, lifting out a samosa with a slotted spatula and putting it on a paper-towel-lined plate.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Newman said that slotting the lieutenant governor into the role of governor in the event of a recall would follow a precedent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“I see him slotting into relief and being a two-or-three-inning guy,” Roberts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Paul went on his podcast armed with a whiteboard, slotting James into various imaginary lineups around the NBA—Minnesota, Denver, and Philadelphia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The Manchester United midfielder continued where he left off after the break, slotting home his second after being fed by Ramos.
From Barron's ● Nov. 16, 2025
I wasn’t interested in slotting myself into a passive role, waiting for Barack’s team to give me direction.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
