slacks
Use Slacks in a sentence
noun ( used with a plural verb )
men's or women's trousers for informal wear.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
adjective
1.
not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose: a slack rope.
2.
negligent; careless; remiss: slack proofreading.
3.
slow, sluggish, or indolent: He is slack in answering letters.
4.
not active or busy; dull; not brisk: the slack season in an industry.
5.
moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water.
adverb
8.
in a slack manner.
noun
9.
a slack condition or part.
10.
the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.
11.
a decrease in activity, as in business or work: a sudden slack in output.
12.
a period of decreased activity.
13.
Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn.
verb (used with object)
17.
to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone: He slacked the most important part.
18.
to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed by up ).
19.
to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off or out ).
20.
to slake (lime).
verb (used without object)
Idioms 21.
to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.
22.
to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed by up ): Business is slacking up.
23.
to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off.
24.
to become slaked, as lime.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax
before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc; cognate with Old Norse slakr, Old High German slach, Latin laxus lax
Related forms
slack·ing·ly, adverb
slack·ly, adverb
slack·ness, noun
un·slacked, adjective
un·slack·ing, adjective
Synonyms
1. relaxed. 2. lazy, weak. 3. dilatory, tardy, late. 4. idle, quiet. 11. slowing, relaxation. 17. neglect. 18. reduce, slacken. 21. malinger.
1. relaxed. 2. lazy, weak. 3. dilatory, tardy, late. 4. idle, quiet. 11. slowing, relaxation. 17. neglect. 18. reduce, slacken. 21. malinger.
00:10
Slacks
is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To slacks
Collins
World English Dictionary
slack1 (slæk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | not tight, tense, or taut |
| 2. | negligent or careless |
| 3. | (esp of water, etc) moving slowly |
| 4. | (of trade, etc) not busy |
| 5. | phonetics another term for lax |
| —adv | |
| 6. | in a slack manner |
| —n | |
| 7. | a part of a rope, etc, that is slack: take in the slack |
| 8. | a period of decreased activity |
| 9. | a. a patch of water without current |
| b. a slackening of a current | |
| 10. | prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables |
| —vb | |
| 11. | to neglect (one's duty, etc) |
| 12. | ( |
| 13. | chem a less common word for slake |
| [Old English slæc, sleac; related to Old High German slah, Old Norse slākr bad, Latin laxus | |
| 'slackly1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'slackness1 | |
| —n | |
| slack2 (slæk) | |
| —n | |
| small pieces of coal with a high ash content | |
| [C15: probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross] | |
| slacks (slæks) | |
| —pl n | |
| informal trousers worn by both sexes | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
slack
"coal dust," c.1440, sleck, probably from M.Du. slacke, M.L.G. slecke "slag, small pieces left after coal is screened," perhaps related to slagge "splinter flying off metal when it is struck" (see slag).
slack
O.E. slæc "loose, careless" (in ref. to personal conduct), from P.Gmc. *slakas (cf. O.S. slak, O.N. slakr, O.H.G. slah "slack," M.Du. lac "fault, lack"), from PIE base *(s)leg- "to be slack" (see lax). Sense of "not tight" (in ref. to things) is first recorded c.1300.
The verb is attested from 1520; slacken (v.) first recorded 1580. Slack-key (1975) translates Hawaiian ki ho'alu First record of slack-jawed (1901) is in Kipling. Slack water "time when tide is not flowing" is from 1769. Slacker popularized 1994, though meaning "person who shirks work" dates back to 1898.
slack
1794, "loose part or end" (of a rope, sail, etc.), from slack (adj.); hense fig. senses in take up the slack (1930) and slang cut (someone) some slack (1968). Meaning "quiet period, lull" is from 1851. Slacks "loose trousers" first recorded 1824, originally military.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
slack
n.1. Space allocated to a disk file but not actually used to store useful information. The techspeak equivalent is `internal fragmentation'. Antonym: hole.
2. In the theology of the Church of the SubGenius, a mystical substance or quality that is the prerequisite of all human happiness.
Since Unix files are stored compactly, except for the unavoidable wastage in the last block or fragment, it might be said that "Unix has no slack". See ha ha only serious.
Jargon
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Example sentences
My suggestion would be comfortable slacks and a sweater or knit shirt and your interview jacket.
Males: shirt with collars, slacks or departmental uniforms, shoes and socks.
Dressed in batik shirts and slacks, they glided across the floor to shake my hand.
If luggage space is tight, bring a couple pairs of slacks or skirts and several shirts.
Nearby Words
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