# slater

/ˈsɫeɪtɝ/ (US) · /slˈeɪtɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/slater
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. roof worker

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal

a person whose job is to put slate tiles on the roofs of buildings.

For teachers: a tradesperson who specialises in laying slate tiles on roofs.

- The slater spent the whole afternoon repairing the old church roof.
- The master slater carefully selected each piece of stone to ensure the historic cottage remained watertight for another century.

### 2. woodlouse

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Dialect

a small, grey creature with a hard shell that lives in damp places like under rocks.

For teachers: a terrestrial isopod crustacean, commonly known as a woodlouse.

- When I lifted the old flower pot, a few slaters scurried away into the dirt.
- The children spent the morning exploring the garden, fascinated by the slaters they found hiding beneath the damp logs.

Teaching tip: This term is common in Scotland, Australia, and New Zealand; speakers in the US or Southern England usually say 'woodlouse' or 'pill bug'.

### 3. harsh critic

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · British English

someone who writes very mean or angry reviews about a book, film, or play.

For teachers: a person who severely criticises or denigrates a work or individual.

- The director was known as a slater who never had a kind word for new actors.
- The lead actor was devastated by the review, describing the journalist as a notorious slater who enjoyed destroying reputations.

## Examples

- I found a slater under the flower pot.
- Lifting the damp log revealed a colony of slaters scurrying away from the light.
- While often mistaken for insects, the slater is actually a crustacean that has adapted to life on land, though it still requires a humid habitat to breathe through its gills.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.