ENGLISH
REFERENCE

slot

n. · v.
US //ˈsɫɑt// UK //slˈɒt// slot
  1. 1 narrow opening (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a long, narrow hole that you put something into, like a coin in a machine.

    a narrow aperture or perforation designed to receive a corresponding part or a coin.

    Example

    He dropped a few coins into the slot and waited for the machine to start.

    Example

    The technician carefully aligned the memory card with the internal slot before applying gentle pressure to secure it.
  2. 2 scheduled time (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a specific time when something is planned to happen in a schedule.

    an allocated period of time within a schedule or sequence.

    Example

    The band has a thirty-minute slot at the music festival this afternoon.

    Example

    The talk show host struggled to find a suitable time slot for the interview given the politician's demanding campaign schedule.
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  1. 3 aviation timing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Aviation

    a specific time given to a plane for taking off or landing.

    the specific time window allocated for an aircraft's departure or arrival at an airport.

    Example

    The pilot warned that if they missed their takeoff slot, they would be delayed for hours.

    Example

    Due to heavy fog over the channel, several international flights missed their arrival slots, causing significant congestion at the terminal.
  2. 4 gambling machine (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a machine in a casino that you play by putting money in a hole.

    a coin-operated gambling machine that pays out based on the alignment of symbols on rotating reels.

    Example

    She spent the evening playing the slots at the casino but didn't win much.

    Example

    The casino floor was filled with the mechanical ringing of slots as tourists tried their luck at the jackpot.
    • fruit machine
    • one armed bandit
  3. 5 to fit into a space (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to put something into a narrow space or a schedule.

    to place or fit something into a designated aperture or a specific position in a sequence.

    Example

    You can slot the new battery into the back of the camera.

    Example

    The manager managed to slot the extra training session into the Tuesday afternoon programme without cancelling any existing meetings.
  4. 6 to score a goal (v.)
    C1 Advanced Informal British English Sport

    to kick or hit a ball accurately into a goal.

    to successfully score a goal by placing the ball accurately into the net or between posts.

    Example

    He managed to slot the ball into the corner of the net in the final minute.

    Example

    The striker showed remarkable composure as he slotted the penalty home, securing a vital victory for his team.
Etymology 1

From Middle English slot, from Old French esclot, likely from Old Norse slóð (“track”). As a gambling machine, via clipping of slot machine. Compare sleuth. The scheduling (calendar) sense is by a metaphor whereby the time span is equated with the segment of a page or part of a device that represents it.

Etymology 2

From Middle English slot, from Middle Low German slot or Middle Dutch slot, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic slot, from Proto-Germanic slutą, related to the verb *sleutaną (“to lock”). Cognate with Dutch slot, German Schloss (“door-bolt”). The verb is probably from Middle Dutch sluten (“to close, to lock”) (Modern Dutch sluiten (“to close”)).

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