Meaning & Definition of Slack in English

1. 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. 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. A stretch of water without current or movement

• "Suddenly they were in a slack and the water was motionless"

4. A soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

5. The quality of being loose (not taut)

• "He hadn't counted on the slackness of the rope"

6. A cord or rope or cable that is hanging loosely

• "He took up the slack"

1. Avoid responsibilities and work, be idle

2. Be inattentive to, or neglect

• "He slacks his attention"

3. Release tension on

• "Slack the rope"

4. Make less active or fast

• "He slackened his pace as he got tired"

• "Don't relax your efforts now"

5. Become slow or slower

• "Production slowed"

6. Make less active or intense

7. Become less in amount or intensity

• "The storm abated"

• "The rain let up after a few hours"

8. Cause to heat and crumble by treatment with water

• "Slack lime"

1. Not tense or taut

• "The old man's skin hung loose and grey"

• "Slack and wrinkled skin"

• "Slack sails"

• "A slack rope"

2. Flowing with little speed as e.g. at the turning of the tide

• "Slack water"

3. Lacking in rigor or strictness

• "Such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable"

• "Lax in attending classes"

• "Slack in maintaining discipline"