slot machine

noun

1

: a machine whose operation is begun by dropping a coin into a slot

2

: an originally coin-operated gambling machine that pays off according to the matching of symbols on wheels spun by a handle

also : an electronic version of this machine

Examples of slot machine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These features of slot machines and For You pages pique the interest of neural circuitry originating deep in the brain, called the mesolimbic pathway. — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Allison worries everyday fans are being conditioned to see the diamond – or the court or the field – as slot machines and the human athletes as spinning symbols that sometimes align as dollar signs. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

In June, the court ruled that skill games are gambling machines, like slot machines, and are permitted only in casinos or truck stops. — Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

On June 15, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the devices are slot machines governed by the state’s gambling and criminal laws. — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1891, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for slot machine

• acridine
• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene

Kids Definition

slot machine

noun

1

: a machine whose operation is begun when a coin is dropped into a slot

2

: a coin-operated gambling machine that pays off for the matching of symbols on wheels spun by a handle