slack

1 of 5

adjective

1
: not using due diligence, care, or dispatch : negligent
2
a
: characterized by slowness, sluggishness, or lack of energy
a slack pace
b
: moderate in some quality
especially : moderately warm
a slack oven
c
: blowing or flowing at low speed
the tide was slack
3
a
: not tight or taut
a slack rope
b
: lacking in usual or normal firmness and steadiness : weak
slack muscles
slack supervision
4
: wanting in activity : dull
a slack market
5
: lacking in completeness, finish, or perfection
a very slack piece of work
slackly adverb
slackness noun

slack

2 of 5

verb

slacked; slacking; slacks

intransitive verb

1
: to be or become slack
2
: to shirk or evade work or duty

transitive verb

1
a
: to be slack or negligent in performing or doing
2
: to release tension on : loosen
3
a
: to cause to abate

slack

3 of 5

noun (1)

1
: cessation in movement or flow
2
: a part of something that hangs loose without strain
take up the slack of a rope
3
: trousers especially for casual wear
usually used in plural
4
: a dull season or period
5
a
: a part that is available but not used
some slack in the budget
b
: a portion (as of labor or resources) that is required but lacking
hired a temp to take up the slack
6
: additional leeway or relief from pressure
usually used with cut
refused to cut me some slack on the schedule

slack

4 of 5

noun (2)

dialectal, England
: a pass between hills

slack

5 of 5

noun (3)

: the finest screenings of coal produced at a mine unusable as fuel unless cleaned
Choose the Right Synonym for slack

negligent, neglectful, lax, slack, remiss mean culpably careless or indicative of such carelessness.

negligent implies inattention to one's duty or business.

negligent about writing a note of thanks

neglectful adds a more disapproving implication of laziness or deliberate inattention.

a society callously neglectful of the poor

lax implies a blameworthy lack of strictness, severity, or precision.

a reporter lax about accurate quotation

slack implies want of due or necessary diligence or care.

slack workmanship

remiss implies blameworthy carelessness shown in slackness, forgetfulness, or neglect.

had been remiss in their familial duties

Examples of slack in a Sentence

Adjective His broken arm hung slack at his side. The rope suddenly went slack. He accused the government of slack supervision of nuclear technology. Verb They need to stop slacking and get down to work. the skipper ordered the crew to slack off the sheets on the mainsail
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Yet her character’s purpose becomes perilously blurred, and there is something slack and unfocussed at the core of the plot. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2023 Trees also can be damaged or girdled by a slack line play set — a set of swings, ladders and other play equipment suspended from a rope that is often tied between two trees. Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2023 The law also encourages more of the type of batteries that feed electricity to the grid when the wind is slack, or at night when the sun isn’t hitting solar panels. Isabella O'Malley, Fortune, 24 July 2023 The law also encourages more of the type of batteries that feed electricity to the grid when the wind is slack, or at night when the sun isn't hitting solar panels. Arkansas Online, 24 July 2023 More exports help create jobs and could compensate for the otherwise slack domestic economy. Claire Fu, New York Times, 19 June 2023 Automakers are looking to China to drive sales growth at a time of slack American and European demand, but that requires then to pour money into creating competitive models that can appeal to Chinese buyers in a crowded market. Joe McDonald, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023 The jaw can also become too slack and allow the tongue to fall out of position. Michael Pollick, chicagotribune.com, 8 Aug. 2020 Knead the dough aggressively on a floured work surface for 10 minutes, adding sprinkles of flour if the dough is slack and sticky. Tribune News Service, cleveland, 31 July 2020
Verb
Self-confidence and flexibility are not just fancy job titles for slacking. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Sep. 2023 Under its influence, Ze dyes his hair, starts slacking on his schoolwork and getting into trouble in class. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2023 Made with 100% cotton, these plush terry towels offer plenty of absorbency without slacking on comfort. Lauren Wellbank, Woman's Day, 17 Aug. 2023 However, Riah, 25, has felt like Trey, 29, has been slacking in the romantic date night department. Olivia Evans, Women's Health, 16 Aug. 2023 Charania, who is five feet nine, scrolled constantly on his two screens, his face intermittently slack with focus. Dan Greene, The New Yorker, 24 June 2023 Signals on China’s economy are likely to show increasing need for a policy boost from the central bank, with deeper factory-gate deflation, anemic CPI, stalling export growth and slack private demand for credit. Adam Majendie, Bloomberg.com, 4 June 2023 Although the causes of the recent bank meltdowns aren’t yet fully known, some industry observers have pointed to slack risk management. Richard Vanderford, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2023 As Gates told it, slacking might mean taking more time to look back and cherish one’s own success, bounce back from difficulties, and develop relationships, all seemingly difficult to do while patrolling a software company’s employees’ cars going and coming. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 15 May 2023
Noun
Her husband, who wore a blue cardigan, white tee and slacks, helped celebrate her partnership as the brand's new ambassador. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023 The attire of weekend grilling, or mini-golf: A navy polo and gray slacks. Josh Condon, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2023 The Federal Reserve, which is in the throes of a historic inflation-busting campaign, has been wanting to see more slack in the labor market, believing the imbalance between worker supply and demand could cause wages to rise and push inflation higher. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 1 Sep. 2023 After Cook, The Dallas Morning News’ 2022 offensive player of the year, graduated, a big question for DeSoto this offseason was who would pick up his slack. Lia Assimakopoulos, Dallas News, 26 Aug. 2023 Just a couple months after pairing socks with sandals—a controversial combo favored by frat boys—the Hunger Games star stepped out in a black tank and navy blue slacks. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 23 Aug. 2023 Read the full Gemini Daily Horoscope Cancer (June 22 - July 22) Cutting yourself some slack? USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2023 Their slack faces have the look of Greek masks: slits for shut eyes and black sockets for nostrils, mouths turned down like sickle moons. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023 Losing those services entirely would force the 60% of facilities that offer procedural abortions to pick up the slack. Jamie Ducharme, Time, 18 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English slak, from Old English sleac; akin to Old High German slah slack, Latin laxus slack, loose, languēre to languish, Greek lagnos lustful and perhaps to Greek lēgein to stop

Noun (2)

Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki

Noun (3)

earlier sleck, probably from Middle Dutch slacke, slecke slag

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1729, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slack was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near slack

Cite this Entry

“Slack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slack. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

slack

1 of 3 adjective
1
2
: not energetic
a slack pace
3
a
: not tight : not tense or taut
a slack rope
b
: lacking in firmness : weak, soft
slack control
4
: not busy
a slack season
slackly adverb
slackness noun

slack

2 of 3 verb
1
a
: to be or become slack or careless in performing or doing
b
: lessen
the wind slacked off
2
: to avoid work or duty
3
4
a
: to cause to lessen

slack

3 of 3 noun
1
: a stopping of movement or flow
2
: a part of something that hangs loose without strain
take up the slack of a rope
3
plural : trousers especially for casual wear
4
: a dull season or period : lull
5
: additional tolerance or relief from pressure
cut me some slack

More from Merriam-Webster on slack

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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