slack
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slack 1
(slăk)adj. slack·er, slack·est
1. Not tense or taut; loose: a slack rope; slack muscles. See Synonyms at loose.
2.
a. Lacking in activity; not busy: a slack season for the travel business.
b. Moving slowly; sluggish: a slack pace.
3. Lacking in diligence or due care or concern; negligent: a slack worker. See Synonyms at negligent.
4. Flowing or blowing with little speed: a slack current; slack winds.
5. Linguistics Pronounced with the muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed; lax.
v. slacked, slack·ing, slacks
v.tr.
1.
a. To make looser or less taut: slacked the sail.
b. To make slower: slacked our pace.
2. To be careless or remiss in doing: slack one's duty.
3. To slake (lime).
v.intr.
1. To be or become slack.
2. To be inactive or avoid work: slacked around the house all day.
n.
1. A loose part, as of a rope or sail: hauled in the slack.
2. A period of little activity; a lull: a slack in business.
3.
a. A cessation of movement in a current of air or water.
b. An area of still water.
4. Unused capacity: still some slack in the economy.
5. slacks Casual pants that are not part of a suit.
adv.
Phrasal Verb: In a slack manner: a banner hanging slack.
slack off
Idiom: 1. To decrease in activity or intensity.
2. To work less intensely than is required or expected: slacked off at work and started surfing the internet.
cut/give (someone) some slack
Slang To make an allowance for (someone), as in allowing more time to finish something.
slack′ly adv.
slack′ness n.
slack 2
(slăk)n.
A mixture of coal fragments, coal dust, and dirt that remains after screening coal.
[Middle English sleck.]
slack 3
(slăk)n. Chiefly British
1. A small dell or hollow.
2. A bog; a morass.
[Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
slack
(slæk)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 & Phonology) phonetics another term for lax4
adv
in a slack manner
n
6. a part of a rope, etc, that is slack: take in the slack.
7. a period of decreased activity
8. (Physical Geography)
a. a patch of water without current
b. a slackening of a current
9. (Poetry) prosody (in sprung rhythm) the unstressed syllable or syllables
vb
10. to neglect (one's duty, etc)
11. (often foll by off) to loosen; to make slack
12. (Chemistry) chem a less common word for slake3
[Old English slæc, sleac; related to Old High German slah, Old Norse slākr bad, Latin laxus lax]
ˈslackly adv
ˈslackness n
slack
(slæk)n
(Minerals) small pieces of coal with a high ash content
[C15: probably from Middle Low German slecke; related to Dutch slak, German Schlacke dross]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
slack1
(slæk)adj. slack•er, slack•est,
adv., n., v. adj.
1. not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose: a slack rope.
2. negligent; careless; remiss.
3. slow, sluggish, or indolent: 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.
6. weak; lax.
adv. 7. in a slack manner.
n. 8. a slack condition or part.
9. the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it.
10. a decrease in activity, as in business or work.
11. a period of decreased activity.
12. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current.
v.t. 13. to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone.
14. to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.) (often fol. by up).
15. to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often fol. by off or out).
v.i. 16. to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part.
17. to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often fol. by up or off).
18. to become less tense or taut, as a rope; ease off.
[before 900; Middle English slac (adj.), Old English sleac, slæc, c. Old Saxon slak, Old High German slach, Old Norse slakr; akin to Latin laxus lax]
slack′ly, adv.
slack′ness, n.
slack3
(slæk)n.
the fine screenings of coal.
[1400–50; late Middle English sleck]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
slack
Past participle: slacked
Gerund: slacking
| Imperative |
|---|
| slack |
| slack |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | slack - dust consisting of a mixture of small coal fragments and coal dust and dirt that sifts out when coal is passed over a sieve |
| 2. | slack - a noticeable deterioration in performance or quality; "the team went into a slump"; "a gradual slack in output"; "a drop-off in attendance"; "a falloff in quality" | |
| 3. | slack - a stretch of water without current or movement; "suddenly they were in a slack and the water was motionless" stretch - a large and unbroken expanse or distance; "a stretch of highway"; "a stretch of clear water" | |
| 4. |  slack - a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot | |
| 5. | slack - the quality of being loose (not taut); "he hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope" | |
| 6. | slack - a cord or rope or cable that is hanging loosely; "he took up the slack" cord - a line made of twisted fibers or threads; "the bundle was tied with a cord" | |
| Verb | 1. | slack - avoid responsibilities and work, be idle fiddle, shirk, shrink from, goldbrick - avoid (one's assigned duties); "The derelict soldier shirked his duties" |
| 2. | slack - be inattentive to, or neglect; "He slacks his attention" neglect - fail to attend to; "he neglects his children" | |
| 3. | slack - release tension on; "slack the rope" | |
| 4. | slack - make less active or fast; "He slackened his pace as he got tired"; "Don't relax your efforts now" | |
| 5. | slack - become slow or slower; "Production slowed" weaken - become weaker; "The prisoner's resistance weakened after seven days" | |
| 6. | slack - make less active or intense | |
| 7. |  slack - become less in amount or intensity; "The storm abated"; "The rain let up after a few hours" | |
| 8. | slack - cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water; "slack lime" hydrate - cause to be hydrated; add water or moisture to; "hydrate your skin" air-slake - alter by exposure to air with conversion at least in part to a carbonate; "air-slake lime" | |
| Adj. | 1. | slack - not tense or taut; "the old man's skin hung loose and grey"; "slack and wrinkled skin"; "slack sails"; "a slack rope" lax - lacking in strength or firmness or resilience; "a lax rope"; "a limp handshake" |
| 2. | slack - flowing with little speed as e.g. at the turning of the tide; "slack water" standing - (of fluids) not moving or flowing; "mosquitoes breed in standing water" | |
| 3. | slack - lacking in rigor or strictness; "such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable"; "lax in attending classes"; "slack in maintaining discipline" negligent - characterized by neglect and undue lack of concern; "negligent parents"; "negligent of detail"; "negligent in his correspondence" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
slack
adjective
1. limp, relaxed, loose, lax, flaccid, not tight, not taut The electronic pads work slack muscles to astounding effect.
2. loose, hanging, flapping, baggy The wind had gone, leaving the sails slack.
loose stretched, tight, strained, stiff, rigid, taut, inflexible
loose stretched, tight, strained, stiff, rigid, taut, inflexible
3. slow, quiet, inactive, dull, sluggish, slow-moving busy times and slack periods
slow active, busy, hectic, bustling, fast-moving
slow active, busy, hectic, bustling, fast-moving
4. negligent, lazy, lax, idle, easy-going, inactive, tardy, slapdash, neglectful, slipshod, inattentive, remiss, asleep on the job (informal) Many publishers have simply become far too slack.
negligent strict, exacting, meticulous, hard, concerned, hard-working, stern, diligent
negligent strict, exacting, meticulous, hard, concerned, hard-working, stern, diligent
verb
noun
1. surplus, excess, overflow, leftover, glut, surfeit, overabundance, superabundance, superfluity Buying-to-let could stimulate the housing market by reducing the slack.
verb
1. idle, waste time, take it easy, be lazy, doss (Brit. slang), lounge about, bunk off (informal) If someone slacks, he comes down hard on them.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
slack
adjective3. Guilty of neglect; lacking due care or concern:
1. To reduce in tension, pressure, or rigidity:
slack off
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
volnýnedbalýuvolněnýváznoucí
slapsløvstilleløs
löysä
mlohav
lazameglazult
dauîur, í lægîkærulausslakurslakur, ekki hertur
緩い
느슨한
atpalaidavimaslaisvos kelnėsliautis plėšiusisneatidusneįtemptas
bez rosībasbezatbildīgsklussnenostieptsnenostiprināts
viaznuci
ohlapenzanikrn
slapp
หย่อน
lỏng
slack
[slæk]A. ADJ (slacker (compar) (slackest (superl)))
1. (= not tight or firm) → flojo
2. (= lax) → descuidado, negligente; (= lazy) → perezoso, vago, flojo
to be slack about one's work → desatender su trabajo, ser negligente en su trabajo
to be slack about or in doing sth → dejar de hacer algo por desidia
to be slack about one's work → desatender su trabajo, ser negligente en su trabajo
to be slack about or in doing sth → dejar de hacer algo por desidia
3. (Comm) [market] → flojo, encalmado; [period] → de inactividad; [season] → muerto
business is slack → hay poco movimiento or poca actividad en el negocio
demand was slack → hubo poca demanda
business is slack → hay poco movimiento or poca actividad en el negocio
demand was slack → hubo poca demanda
B. N
1. (= part of rope etc) → comba f
to take up the slack → tensar una cuerda
to take up the slack in the economy → utilizar toda la capacidad productiva de la economía
to take up the slack → tensar una cuerda
to take up the slack in the economy → utilizar toda la capacidad productiva de la economía
2. (= coal) → cisco m
D. VT = slacken A
slack off VI + ADV & VT + ADV = slacken off
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
slack
[ˈslæk] adj
(loose) [rope, cable] → lâche; [muscles] → relâché(e)
to go slack [rope] → se détendre
The boy's jaw went slack → Le garçon en resta bouche bée.
to go slack [rope] → se détendre
The boy's jaw went slack → Le garçon en resta bouche bée.
(= slow) [trading] → stagnant(e); [market] → peu actif/ive; [demand] → faible; [period, season] → creux/euse; [business]
Business is slack → Les affaires sont calmes.
Business is slack → Les affaires sont calmes.
(= careless) → qui fait preuve de laisser-aller
to get slack → se relâcher
Security has got a bit slack → La sécurité s'est un peu relâchée.
to get slack → se relâcher
Security has got a bit slack → La sécurité s'est un peu relâchée.
n
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
slack
adj (+er)
(= not tight) → locker
(= lazy) → bequem, träge; student → verbummelt; (= negligent) → nachlässig, schlampig (inf); they are very slack in renewing contracts → das Erneuern der Verträge wird sehr nachlässig gehandhabt; to be slack in one’s work → in Bezug auf seine Arbeit nachlässig sein
n
(of rope etc) → durchhängendes Teil (des Seils/Segels etc), Lose(s) nt (spec); to take up the slack (on a rope/sail) → ein Seil/Segel straffen or spannen; there is too much slack → das Seil/Segel hängt zu sehr durch; to cut somebody some slack (fig inf) → mit jdm nachsichtig sein
(= coal) → Grus m
vi → bummeln
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
slack
[slæk]1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl)))
a. (not tight, rope, knot) → lento/a, allentato/a; (grip) → debole
b. (lax, work) → trascurato/a; (student, worker) → negligente; (lazy) → pigro/a, fiacco/a
to be slack about one's work → essere negligente nel proprio lavoro
to grow slack → lasciarsi andare
to be slack about one's work → essere negligente nel proprio lavoro
to grow slack → lasciarsi andare
c. (Comm) (market) → stagnante; (demand) → scarso/a; (period) → morto/a
business is slack → si fanno pochi affari
the slack season → la bassa stagione
business is slack → si fanno pochi affari
the slack season → la bassa stagione
2. n
4. vt (Naut) (sail) → lascare
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
slack
(slӕk) adjective1. loose; not firmly stretched. Leave the rope slack.
2. not firmly in position. He tightened a few slack screws.
3. not strict; careless. He is very slack about getting things done.
4. in industry etc, not busy; inactive. Business has been rather slack lately.
ˈslacken verb (sometimes with off or up).
1. to make or become looser. She felt his grip on her arm slacken.
2. to make or become less busy, less active or less fast. The doctor told him to slacken up if he wanted to avoid a heart-attack.
ˈslackly adverbˈslackness noun
slacks noun plural
trousers, usually loose-fitting, worn informally by men or women. a pair of slacks.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
slack
→ مُتْوَان volný slap locker μπόσικος flojo löysä détendu mlohav lento 緩い 느슨한 slap slakk ospały frouxo провисший slapp หย่อน gevşek lỏng 松弛的Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009