What Is a Slot?

slot

The slot is a position on the football field that’s often overlooked, but it plays a critical role in the offense. It’s not just a place for wide receivers to land — it requires a special set of skills that separate it from other positions. It’s important for all players to learn the responsibilities and traits of the slot receiver position, and understand how they differ from outside receivers.

In a casino, the slot is where all of the action happens. It’s where you can see the big wins and the high rollers are rubbing shoulders with the little guys. It’s also where you can find a whole host of different bonus features, including jackpots, free spins, board game bonuses, and memory-like mini games. These extras are what make a casino experience stand out from the rest, and they can be the difference between winning and losing.

A slot is a narrow notch or groove, especially one in which something can fit, such as the hole for coins in a vending machine. It can also refer to a particular place or time, as in “I had a two-hour appointment at the bank’s slots.” You can even get slotted in for an activity, meaning that you’re scheduled at that location at that time.

An airport slot gives an airline the right to operate at a congested or restricted air traffic control system (ATCS) runway or parking space, and can be a valuable asset in the industry. A slot may be a fixed number, or it may depend on the type of aircraft operating at that airport, and whether the ATCS is using centralized flow management (CFM), where a central computer controls all the runways at an airspace centre.

In computer science, a slot is a site in a computer where you can insert printed circuit boards. These are sometimes called expansion slots or bays. They can be used to add more capacity to a machine, or they may provide an extra function, such as audio output, keyboard input, and video display. The newest computers have multiple slots, and some may even feature removable bays for additional expansion slots.

A slot is a narrow opening in which something can fit, as in a slit for coins or a keyway in a lock. It can also refer to a specific place or time, as in “I had an appointment at the bank’s slots”; or to a certain place in a group, series, or sequence, as in “She slotted into the chair easily.” The term is also commonly used to describe a position in a game, such as a poker hand, or a place on a schedule. The last usage is most common in the United States and Canada, and less so in the United Kingdom. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition. Copyright 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.