slack

1 of 5

adjective

ˈslak

Synonyms of slack next

: not using due diligence, care, or dispatch : negligent

: characterized by slowness, sluggishness, or lack of energy

a slack pace

: moderate in some quality

especially : moderately warm

a slack oven

: blowing or flowing at low speed

the tide was slack

: not tight or taut

a slack rope

: lacking in usual or normal firmness and steadiness : weak

slack muscles

slack supervision

: wanting in activity : dull

a slack market

: 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

: to be or become slack

: to shirk or evade work or duty

transitive verb

: to be slack or negligent in performing or doing

: lessen, moderate

: to release tension on : loosen

: to cause to abate

: slake sense 3

slack

3 of 5

noun (1)

: cessation in movement or flow

: a part of something that hangs loose without strain

take up the slack of a rope

: trousers especially for casual wear

—usually used in plural

: a dull season or period

: a part that is available but not used

some slack in the budget

: a portion (as of labor or resources) that is required but lacking

hired a temp to take up the slack

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Adjective

But, as our offices become more mobile, and our tether to a single home base becomes increasingly slack, these rules have changed. —

Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024 Levi's Wedgie Straight Jeans, $31 with Prime Aside from a cropped length, which these still have, a straight-leg fit displays your curves in a more slack way. —

Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024

Verb

The same goes for other issues your SO might raise: forgetting important dates, slacking on chores, working too much, whatever. —

Anna Borges, SELF, 15 Oct. 2024 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

Noun

Every industry relies on seasoned pros to pick up the slack — like the adage that 20 percent of workers do 80 percent of the work. —

Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 14 Nov. 2024 So if the Trump administration cut off the funding for heat pumps that the IRA provides, states could pick up the slack. —

Matt Simon / Grist, Quartz, 12 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for slack

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Slack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slack. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

slack

1 of 3 adjective

ˈslak

: careless sense 2

: not energetic

a slack pace

: not tight : not tense or taut

a slack rope

: lacking in firmness : weak, soft

slack control

: not busy

a slack season

slackly adverb

slackness noun

slack

2 of 3 verb

: to be or become slack or careless in performing or doing

: lessen

the wind slacked off

: to avoid work or duty

: loosen sense 2

: to cause to lessen

: slake sense 4

slack

3 of 3 noun

: a stopping of movement or flow

: a part of something that hangs loose without strain

take up the slack of a rope

plural : trousers especially for casual wear

: a dull season or period : lull

: additional tolerance or relief from pressure

cut me some slack

Last Updated: 19 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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slack

adjective

verb

noun (1)

noun (2)

noun (3)

Synonyms

Examples of slack in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near slack

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition