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adj. slack·er, slack·est 2. a. Lacking in activity; not busy: a slack season for the travel business. b. Moving slowly; sluggish: a slack pace. 3. Lacking in diligence or due care or concern; negligent: a slack worker. See Synonyms at negligent. 4. Flowing or blowing with little speed: a slack current; slack winds. 5. Linguistics Pronounced with the muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed; lax. v. slacked, slack·ing, slacks v.tr. 1. a. To make looser or less taut: slacked the sail. b. To make slower: slacked our pace. 2. To be careless or remiss in doing: slack one's duty. 3. To slake (lime). v.intr. 1. To be or become slack. 2. To be inactive or avoid work: slacked around the house all day. n. 1. A loose part, as of a rope or sail: hauled in the slack. 2. A period of little activity; a lull: a slack in business. 3. a. A cessation of movement in a current of air or water. b. An area of still water. 4. Unused capacity: still some slack in the economy. 5. slacks Casual pants that are not part of a suit. adv. Phrasal Verb: In a slack manner: a banner hanging slack. slack off Idiom: 1. To decrease in activity or intensity. 2. To work less intensely than is required or expected: slacked off at work and started surfing the internet. cut/give (someone) some slack Slang To make an allowance for (someone), as in allowing more time to finish something. [Middle English slak, from Old English slæc; see slēg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] slackly adv. slackness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. A mixture of coal fragments, coal dust, and dirt that remains after screening coal. [Middle English sleck.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
n. Chiefly British 1. A small dell or hollow. 2. A bog; a morass. [Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
