A narrow depression, perforation, or aperture; especially, one for the reception of a piece fitting or sliding in it.
In a slot machine, a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a slot and activates it by pushing a lever or button (physical or on a touchscreen). The reels then spin and stop to rearrange symbols. If a winning combination is displayed, the player earns credits according to the paytable. Symbols vary by machine, but classic symbols include fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Most slots have a theme and bonus features aligned with that theme.
The term slot also refers to a position in a schedule or sequence: The TV show was scheduled for the eight o’clock slot. A slot can also refer to a time period: The meeting was in the afternoon slot. In linguistics, a tagmemic slot is a position within a construction into which any element can fit; see also sleuth (def. 2). Aeronauticsan allocated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, as authorized by an airport or air-traffic control center:40 more slots for the new airline at U.S. airports.