slot

[ slot ]

/ slɒt /

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See synonyms for: slot / slots / slotted / slotting on Thesaurus.com

noun

a narrow, elongated depression, groove, notch, slit, or aperture, especially a narrow opening for receiving or admitting something, as a coin or a letter.

a place or position, as in a sequence or series: The program received a new time slot on the broadcasting schedule.

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.Compare filler (def. 9).

an assignment or job opening; position: I applied for the slot in management training.

Journalism.

the interior opening in a copy desk, occupied by the chief copy editor.
the job or position of chief copy editor: He had the slot at the Gazette for 20 years.Compare rim (def. 7).

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.

Informal. slot machine (def. 1).

Aeronautics. See under slat¹ (def. 2).

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.

Ice Hockey. an unmarked area near the front of an opponent's goal that affords a vantage for an attacking player.

Computers. expansion slot.

verb (used with object), slot·ted, slot·ting.

to provide with a slot or slots; make a slot in.

to place or fit into a slot: We've slotted his appointment for four o'clock.

verb (used without object), slot·ted, slot·ting.

to fit or be placed in a slot.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of slot

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “hollow at the base of the throat above the breastbone,” from Old French esclot; further origin unclear

OTHER WORDS FROM slot

un·slot·ted, adjective

Words nearby slot

slopwork, slorm, slosh, sloshed, sloshy, slot, slot aerial, slotback, slot car, sloth, sloth bear

Other definitions for slot (2 of 2)

slot²

[ slot ]

/ slɒt /

noun

the track or trail of a deer or other animal, as shown by the marks of the feet.

a track, trace, or trail of something.

Origin of slot

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use slot in a sentence

What is affecting our predictions some is the addition of more wild-card slots.
We Previewed Both Kinds Of Football For You|Sarah Shachat|September 8, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
That’s why SEOs push so hard to dominate that particular slot in the organic SERPs.
How to become a master of featured snippets|Mark Webster|September 3, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Citizens have to book a time slot online in order to get a test.
Hong Kong’s new mass COVID testing scheme is free and voluntary—and some citizens are suspicious|eamonbarrett|August 26, 2020|Fortune
When the pandemic forced the county’s 19 libraries to close during the state’s primary, librarians and election officials allowed voters to return ballots through the outdoor slots where people return books.
As states mull expanding vote by mail, they’re turning to Oregon for advice|Lee Clifford|August 24, 2020|Fortune

By the time Mayfield returned, his starting slot had been handed to someone else, and his scholarship was in question — with future superstar Patrick Mahomes waiting in the wings.
When Baker Mayfield Was a Walk-On|Nick Fouriezos|August 14, 2020|Ozy
He said Moran had expected to be muffled by state observers when he did a slot on their show.
Igor Meerson, Russia’s Funniest Export|Nico Hines|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was, though, keen on securing the bicycles a parking slot in the sun.
Pryor Dodge's Two-Wheeled Obsession Is Now a Museum of Bike History|Anthony Haden-Guest|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jacob: The last time I was in Atlantic City, I sat at the Sex and the City slot machine and I ordered cosmopolitans.
The Ladies Disrupting the Bartender Boys’ Club|Brandy Zadrozny|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The German government paid $16 billion to make sure there would be a slot for every child.
Free Market Failure: Raising a Kid Is a Rigged Game in the USA|Monica Potts|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And that enabled me to slot in the shooting of the first two episodes [of The Divide] in that.
Tony Goldwyn Tackles Political Scandal Again on ‘The Divide’|Jason Lynch|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Willis even went so far as to slot all of his Diapason pipes, and Cavaill-Coll sometimes adopted a similar practice.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
A piece of strong iron wire, which lay among the other litter, was inserted in a narrow slot, apparently a crack in the stone.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
A number of slots are cut across one side of the can, and the lower edge of each slot slightly turned out to form a cutting edge.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Place enough strips of rubber or fit two coil springs, B, to raise the sharp edge out of the slot.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Cut a slot in a board or in the workbench large enough to receive the stop A flat.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various

British Dictionary definitions for slot (1 of 2)

slot¹

/ (slɒt) /

noun

an elongated aperture or groove, such as one in a vending machine for inserting a coin

an air passage in an aerofoil to direct air from the lower to the upper surface, esp the gap formed behind a slat

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

informal a place in a series or scheme

verb slots, slotting or slotted

(tr) to furnish with a slot or slots

(usually foll by in or into) to fit or adjust in a slot

informal to situate or be situated in a series or scheme

Derived forms of slot

slotter, noun

Word Origin for slot

C13: from Old French esclot the depression of the breastbone, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for slot (2 of 2)

slot²

/ (slɒt) /

noun

the trail of an animal, esp a deer

Word Origin for slot

C16: from Old French esclot horse's hoof-print, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse sloth track; see sleuth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

slot

Origin of slot

OTHER WORDS FROM slot

Words nearby slot

Other definitions for slot (2 of 2)

Origin of slot

Words related to slot

How to use slot in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for slot (1 of 2)

Derived forms of slot

Word Origin for slot

British Dictionary definitions for slot (2 of 2)

Word Origin for slot