A slot is a narrow opening, usually for receiving something. The coin slipped into the slot and spun around, and the machine gave the player credits. He dropped the coin into the slot and dialed. A slot is also the name of a position or job, such as chief copy editor.
A computer-controlled mechanism that allows players to bet and win coins or tokens by lining up symbols on the machine’s pay table. It is typically located above and below the reels on a physical machine, or within a help menu on a video game. Some slots offer multiple pay lines; others have one fixed number. In either case, the payouts are determined by the number and type of symbols matched and the machine’s current settings.
The slot component is part of the operation issue and data path machinery surrounding a functional unit (also called a pipeline). In very long instruction word (VLIW) computers, it is referred to as an execute pipe or FU.
In football, a slot receiver is a smaller wide receiver who plays on the outside of the route tree and can stretch defenses with his speed. He runs shorter routes than boundary receivers, such as slants and quick outs. Slot receivers can create big plays for their teams by stretching the defense vertically, and they are often able to beat coverage with their speed.
An assigned time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, given by an airport or air-traffic control authority: The airline got more landing slots at Heathrow after a successful bid.
A slot in a schedule or program: The visitors can come next week, if we get a slot.
1. In aviation, a position allocated to an airline at a congested airport for taking off and landing during certain times of the day: The airline got more landing slots because of the coronavirus.
2. In computing, a container used to hold dynamic items in a Web page: The slot on the left of the home page waits for content. The slot on the right contains the navigation menu.
3. In gambling, the slot on a game board where a player places a bet: The man sat down in his favorite slot.
4. Etymology: Late Middle English slit, from Early Modern English slotte, from Proto-Germanic *slutila, *slutana; cognate with Dutch sluiten, Old Norse slutta, German slotta, Gothic slutila (source also of Swedish slitt). 5. Verb: To fit something into a slot: He slotted the CD into the player.
A slot is a narrow opening in a machine or container, usually for receiving a coin. It is also a position or job: the slot of chief copy editor at the Gazette. A slot is also a container in a Web page for dynamic content: the left or right slot of a home page waits for the arrival of new material, or the navigation bar and menu can be placed in either.