A slit or narrow opening, especially one for receiving something, such as a coin or a letter. Also, a position or assignment: I had to leave before my slot was up, but I’m sure it will be fine in the future.

A game machine that takes cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, paper tickets with barcodes, and pays out credits according to a paytable. Often, they have themes, symbols, and bonus features that are aligned with the theme. Digital technology has resulted in variations in this concept, with many video slots incorporating advanced graphics and interactive elements.

In computer hardware, a slot is a receptacle for expansion cards such as ISA, PCI, and AGP slots on a motherboard. The term is also used for a space reserved on the front or back of a desktop or laptop for a memory card.

In scheduling, a method of organizing appointments with clients by appointment type or other criteria. For example, health care providers may use time slots to organize urgent or routine patient appointments and consultative meetings with new patients. In business, this approach can help managers and teams maintain consistency in workflow and project delivery and ensure important deadlines are met.