A narrow notch, groove or opening, as a keyway in machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. Also: a position in a group, series or sequence; a time slot for appointments or meetings. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word’slot.’ Views expressed in these examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

In ice hockey, the area in front of the goaltender and between the face-off circles on the offensive zone is called the “slot”. Wingers and centers get many scoring opportunities from this location as it provides a direct path to the net without having to deflect the puck.

Players enjoy playing slots for a number of reasons. They are a source of excitement and the anticipation of winning, combined with high-fidelity, attention-grabbing music and amusing animations (Griffiths & Parke, 2005; Haas & Edworthy, 1996). The random nature of the spins also makes it impossible to predict the outcome and therefore increases the psychological arousal that occurs during play. Moreover, the intermittent rewards of slot machines prevent players from thinking about negative aspects of their lives and may be a form of disengagement coping with painful emotional experiences (Abbot & Volberg, 1996). Finally, winning on a slot machine is accompanied by immediate, monetary gains and the high-risk/high-reward nature of the game provides an adrenaline rush. (Abbot & Volberg, 1996). These characteristics make slot machines attractive to gamblers who are seeking to escape the drudgery of everyday life.