A narrow opening into which something may be inserted, as in a mail slot at a post office. Also used figuratively of a position in a series or sequence, or of an appointment or meeting time: a slot on the calendar; our lunchtime slot is at 11:00. The word is derived from the Latin for notch or groove, and the root of related words means to cut into.

The area of a football field in which a wide receiver lines up, slightly behind the outside wide receivers and directly in front of the offensive linemen. The slot is particularly important in teams that use multiple wide receivers who run shorter routes, such as slants and quick outs. These players, known as slot receivers, are usually faster than other wide receivers and can stretch defenses vertically with their speed. They can also run the ball down the field on short-to-intermediate routes, while more-aggressive wide receivers run longer and deeper routes, such as outs and deep patterns.

In a casino, a machine into which a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode, and then activates by means of a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen), to cause reels to spin and stop at random to reveal symbols. When a winning combination appears, the player receives credits according to the pay table displayed on the machine. The pay tables vary from machine to machine, but classic symbols include fruit, bells, and stylized lucky sevens.

Computer science

In very long instruction word (VLIW) computers, a slot refers to the operation issue and data path machinery that surround a set of one or more execution units that share these resources. The relationship between an operation and its pipeline is specified by a slot mapping (a map that associates operations to execution units). In a multiprocessor system, a single slot may contain several maps.

When playing online slots, players should be aware of the minimum bet amount and maximum win limit. They should also understand that the number of active paylines affects the potential for a winning combination. Typically, slots with more paylines offer higher jackpot amounts and more chances to win, but they may also be more expensive per spin. In addition to selecting the number of paylines, players should consider the bonus features offered by the slot. These can add a level of excitement to the game and increase the chances of winning. These bonuses can also trigger additional free spins, which increase the potential jackpot payout even more.