- slack
- I UK [slæk] / US
adjective
Word forms "slack":
adjective slack comparative slacker superlative slackest1) loose and not pulled tightThe fence consisted of two slack strands of barbed wire.
The rope suddenly went slack.
Her muscles felt slack.
2) not taking enough care to make sure that something is done wellslack safety standards
Some slack defending allowed Valencia to score another goal.
3) not as busy or successful as usual in businessBusiness is usually slack in the winter.
Demand for the product is slack.
Derived word:
slackness
noun uncountable
II UK [slæk] / US verb [intransitive]
Word forms "slack":
present tense I/you/we/they slack he/she/it slacks present participle slacking past tense slacked past participle slackedto try to avoid workingPhrasal verbs:Stop slacking and get back to work.
III UK [slæk] / US noun [uncountable]1) people, equipment, or money that could be used more effectively in an organizationThere is still a great deal of slack in the budget.
There's just no slack in the system to cope with any more patients.
2) the fact that a rope is loose, rather than being held or fixed tightlyThere's too much slack in the rope.
•cut/give someone some slack
— informal to be less strict with someoneCut him a little slack – his father just died.
take/pick up the slack
— to improve an organization or system by using people, equipment, and money in a more effective way; to do the things that someone else is not able or willing to do; to pull a rope so that it is no longer looseWhy should their colleagues have to pick up the slack?
English dictionary. 2014.