A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as in a door or keyhole. Also, a position in a sequence or series (such as an open time slot on a calendar) or in something arranged in that way (such as the space between the face-off circles on an ice hockey rink). (An alternate spelling is “slot.”)
a casino game in which players insert cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into an activation slot and activate reels that spin and then stop to rearrange symbols. When a winning combination is achieved, the player earns credits according to the paytable. The symbols vary depending on the theme of the machine. Most slots have a specific style or location as their theme, and many have bonus features aligned with that theme.
A win in a slot machine or other gambling game, often with a very large sum of money. The term is similar to the more general term jackpot, which is used in financial transactions to refer to a substantial and sudden windfall. Investors who buy shares in a company that quickly rise in value after its initial public offering, for example, hit the jackpot when they cash out their profits. The term is also used colloquially to refer to any large and unexpected win, such as a lottery prize or a big business deal. (Colloquial sense of jackpot began in the 1930s.) From Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright