slide rule

noun

Definition of slide rule

: a manual device used for calculation that consists in its simple form of a ruler and a movable middle piece which are graduated with similar logarithmic scales

Examples of slide rule in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The basic office gym—with a handful of treadmills and weight equipment—also is going the way of the slide rule. — Keiko Morris, WSJ, "Amenity-Laden Buildings Are Suburban Landlords’ Latest Tool to Attract Tenants," 10 June 2018 In a twist of irony, Simmons was actually determined to have violated the slide rule in the fourth inning as Odor tried to turn a double play. — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, "Rangers Reaction: The flawed thinking of those miffed by Banister's comments," 3 June 2018 One indication of that passion is a giant slide rule hanging on a stair wall on the first floor of his trinity. — Sally Friedman, Philly.com, "In South Philly, a depository for a lifetime of collecting," 25 Apr. 2018 Interference for the purpose of breaking up a double play (force play slide rule): Runners sliding into the base and deviating from their slide path to force fielders to make difficult throws to complete double plays. — Ron Higgins, NOLA.com, "SEC baseball adds 6 instant replay reviewable challenges for its coaches," 16 Mar. 2018 Through the morning and early afternoon, wielding his slide rule, Fermi slowly took the pile critical, with a characteristically Fermian break for lunch. — Richard Rhodes, New York Times, "A Remarkable Man Among Remarkable Men and Women," 24 Jan. 2018 Maddon was ejected in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium after a call at home plate was overturned because of the slide rule. — USA TODAY, "Cubs' Maddon tossed again in NLCS; ump admits he missed call," 19 Oct. 2017 Hayward craves distraction and Smeathers engages all his debates, whether the subject is the NFL slide rule or a compound math problem. — Lee Jenkins, SI.com, "The Immense Pride and Unspeakable Agony of Gordon Hayward," 20 Dec. 2017 When pocket calculators were developed in the early 1970s, their slide rule business got crushed by Texas Instruments and Hewlett Packard. — Neil Santuria, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Faber-Castell story: Pencil company created a brand and knew what it stood for," 9 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'slide rule.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Time Traveler for slide rule

The first known use of slide rule was in 1663

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More Definitions for slide rule

slide rule

noun

English Language Learners Definition of slide rule

: an old-fashioned instrument that is like a ruler with a middle piece that slides back and forth and that is used to do calculations

See the full definition for slide rule in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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