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 Noun (1) our boss doesn't cut us any slack when it comes to being back from lunch on time take up the slack of a rope she prefers wearing slacks instead of a dress
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Biden’s resting expression of slack confusion was almost as unnerving as his faltering efforts to make a clear and vivid case for his reëlection. The Editors, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024 Instead, Joanna suggests treating slack skin with facial massage. Photo: Gotham/gc Images., refinery29.com, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
Its pace is unhurried but never slack, and the production design contributions are all astute without distracting from the intimately human scale of this supernatural crisis. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024 While he certainly can't be accused of slacking, many of Lynch's loyal fans are only fans of his film and television work. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 5 Aug. 2024
Noun
Markets in Japan and Europe picked up the slack though, notching modest gains. Ian Mount, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024 Yu Darvish missed most of the season for personal reasons, but Dylan Cease and Michael King picked up the slack. Dan Freedman, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slack 

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, slakke, going back to Old English slæc, sleac, going back to Germanic *slaka- (whence also Old Saxon slak "limp," Middle Dutch slac "loose, slack, slow," Old High German slah, Old Icelandic slakr "not tight"), o-grade of an Indo-European base *sleǵ- (or *sleh2ǵ-) seen also in Middle Irish lac "weak, feeble," Irish lag (< *slh2g-ko-?), Latin laxus "loosely packed, not drawn tight, relaxed" (< sl̥ǵ-so-), languere "to be enfeebled (of a person or body part)" (< *sl-n-ǵ-u̯-), Greek lagarós "loose-limbed, flexible" (< *sl̥g-ro-)

Note: Compare languish, lax entry 1, algolagnia.

Verb

derivative of slack entry 1

Noun (1)

derivative of slack entry 1

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 14 Oct. 2024.

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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