Use slack for rope, fabric, muscles, controls, or flow when tension or firmness is missing.
Use slack for rope, fabric, muscles, controls, or flow when tension or firmness is missing.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The rope is slacked. | The rope is slack. |
| Keep the cable slackly. | Keep the cable slack. |
| His slack jaw means he is talking fast. | His slack jaw means his mouth is loose or hanging open. |
| A slack rope is pulled tight. | A taut rope is pulled tight. |
Use slack for work, supervision, discipline, or standards that fall below the needed level of care.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Slack safety checks are good because they feel relaxed. | Slack safety checks are careless and risky. |
| She is slack to the rules. | She is slack about the rules. |
| The editor made a slack of the article. | The editor did slack work on the article. |
| Slack supervision means very careful supervision. | Slack supervision means weak or careless supervision. |
Use slack for markets, seasons, demand, pace, or flow when activity drops below normal.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The slack market means the market is tied loosely. | The slack market means demand or activity is low. |
| Sales were slackly in January. | Sales were slack in January. |
| The shop was slack of customers. | The shop was slack for customers. |
| A slack tide is a fast tide. | A slack tide is barely moving. |
Use slack for easing tension, speed, force, or effort, with slacken often sounding more ordinary in modern prose.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He slack the cable before the test. | He slacks the cable before the test. |
| The crew made the rope slack by tightening it. | The crew made the rope slack by loosening it. |
| The wind slack strong in the afternoon. | The wind slacked in the afternoon. |
| Please slacken off the meeting notes. | Please shorten the meeting notes. |
Use slack or slack off for reduced effort, idling, or shirking, especially in informal criticism.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He slacked off his duty all week. | He slacked off all week. |
| They are slack on instead of working. | They are slacking instead of working. |
| She slacks her homework carefully. | She neglects her homework. |
| Do not slack of during training. | Do not slack off during training. |
Use slack for a loose section of line, spare time or money, missing work someone else covers, or leniency in cut some slack.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| There are three slacks in the cable. | There is too much slack in the cable. |
| Cut me a slack on the deadline. | Cut me some slack on the deadline. |
| We need to take up slacks in the schedule. | We need to take up the slack in the schedule. |
| The budget slack means the budget is careless. | The budget slack means unused room remains in the budget. |
Use slack for a lull in output, demand, work, or current, and use slack water for a tide with little movement.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The slack in July means the cable was loose. | The July slack means activity was low. |
| A slack of sales rose quickly. | A slack in sales ended quickly. |
| The river slack means extra money in the river. | The river slack means a quiet stretch or weak current. |
| We hired during the slack because orders were high. | We hired after the slack because orders were high again. |
Use slack in mining or fuel contexts for fine coal waste or screenings, not for ordinary ash or soot.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The slack on the shelf came from house dust. | The dust on the shelf came from house dust. |
| The miner tightened the slack before loading it. | The miner loaded the coal slack. |
| Coal slack means a relaxed coal worker. | Coal slack means fine coal pieces or dust. |
| The slack burned like a clean lump of coal. | The slack needed cleaning before it could be used as fuel. |
Use lowercase slack for looseness, laxness, idling, spare capacity, lulls, and coal screenings. The capitalized software name belongs to Slack.
We use slack for messages confuses lowercase slack with the proper name Slack, while slacks for trousers belongs to the plural clothing word.
From Old English slæc and related Germanic forms meaning loose, lax, or sluggish. The coal noun is separate and probably comes through words for slag or small waste pieces.
What does slack mean on a rope?
Slack means the rope is loose and not pulled tight.
What does slack mean at work?
It can mean careless, not strict enough, or working with too little effort.
What does take up the slack mean?
It means to tighten a loose part or do work that is missing because someone else has not done it.
What does cut someone some slack mean?
It means to give someone extra leeway or relief from pressure.
Is slack the same as Slack?
No. Lowercase slack is the common word, while Slack is the capitalized name of the software product.
Are slack and slacks the same entry?
No. Slacks is the plural clothing noun for trousers, while slack covers looseness, laxness, low activity, and related senses.
What is coal slack?
Coal slack is fine coal pieces or dust left after coal has been screened.
Where does slack come from?
The main word goes back to Old English slæc, meaning loose, lax, or sluggish.