Definition

1. Noun:

   • A narrow opening or groove: A long, thin indentation or aperture designed to receive something, such as a coin, a card, or a part.
   • A position in a sequence, schedule, or system: An allocated place within an ordered structure, such as a timetable, a list, or an organizational chart.
   • A position in a grammatical structure: In linguistics, a position within a syntactic frame that can be filled by various words or phrases.
   • The track or trail of an animal: The path or footprints left by a deer or other animal.

2. Verb:

   • To place or fit into a narrow opening: To insert something into a designated groove or aperture.
   • To assign a position in a schedule or plan: To allocate a specific time or place for something within an organized system.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • He inserted the coin into the slot on the vending machine.
  • The television show was moved to a better time slot.
  • She was given the slot of deputy manager in the new department.

• Verb:

  • Please slot the tab into the corresponding groove.
  • Can we slot a meeting for next Tuesday afternoon?

Advanced Usage

• "to slot in/into": To fit neatly or easily into a place, role, or system.
  • The new player slotted into the team's defense perfectly.
• "to slot something home": (Informal, often in sports) To kick or hit a ball accurately into a goal or net.
  • The striker slotted the ball home from a tight angle.

Variants and Related Words

• Slot machine (n): A gambling machine operated by inserting a coin into a slot and pulling a handle or pushing a button.
• Time slot (n): A specific, allocated period in a schedule, especially for broadcasting.

Synonyms

• Noun: Aperture, groove, slit, niche, position, opening.
• Verb: Insert, place, fit, assign, allocate.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Slot in: To manage to include something in a tight schedule.
  • I can slot you in for a quick appointment at 3 PM.
• Slot into: To find or fit into a particular role or environment.
  • After some training, she slotted into the new job without any problems.

Related Idioms

• "a slot in the door": Refers to a mail slot or an opening for deliveries.
  • I found the letter in the slot in the front door.
• "to fill a slot": To occupy an available position.
  • We need to find someone to fill the vacant slot on the committee.

Noun

1. a slot machine that is used for gambling
   • they spend hours and hours just playing the slots
2. (computer) a socket in a microcomputer that will accept a plug-in circuit board
   • the PC had three slots for additional memory
3. the trail of an animal (especially a deer)
   • he followed the deer's slot over the soft turf to the edge of the trees
4. a position in a hierarchy or organization
   • Bob Dylan occupied the top slot for several weeks
   • she beat some tough competition for the number one slot
5. a time assigned on a schedule or agenda
   • the TV program has a new time slot
   • an aircraft landing slot
6. a small slit (as for inserting a coin or depositing mail)
   • he put a quarter in the slot
7. a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
   • he developed a version of slot grammar

Verb

1. assign a time slot
   • slot a television program