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:
She said they told her to "give us a call on Friday morning, and book a slot to come in and have Maisie".
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
He dutifully stuffs the bills into the slot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
The conference had already selected the presentation for its presidential symposium, a slot reserved for medical studies that have the potential to change the standard of care.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Clay & Buck, after all, took over the time slot that was previously filled by Limbaugh, the OG microphone-as-megaphone gasbag.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 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
“Many of the ad slots are now falling below the AI Overview, so a lot of people aren’t making it to that area,” Conner Crowe, a fractional marketing lead, told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Dual threat Olivia Wilde slots in at No. 2, just ahead of “Obsession’s” breakout Inde Navarrette.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Former employees of Lighthouse said the company typically sought to enroll kids in full-time or half-time slots, with a preference for full-time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
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
The saloon has a pass-me-by appearance, with boarded-up windows and post-balloon slots that look wired shut.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Prematurely balding, Stewart missed out on many of the young romantic leads but quickly slotted into theater life, joining the RSC in 1966 and staying there until 1982.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
Xaver Schlager: The midfielder has slotted in well to the Forest engine room but was unable to influence the game this time.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Garcia-Leys said the plates could not be “used for a crime” or any other purpose unless they were slotted into a vest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 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
Icy air spouts from four slotted squares above our heads, a reminder that this room was intended to preserve seeds.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
Maradona later scored what became known as the 'goal of the century' in the same game, dribbling past five England outfield players before slotting the ball past Shilton.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 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
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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
