A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as one for a key in a lock, or a slit for a coin in a machine.

A vacancy in a group, sequence, or position; an assignment or job opening.

Sports A slot receiver is a wide receiver who lines up in the middle of the field and receives passes from the quarterback or running backs. He is usually shorter and quicker than a traditional wide receiver. The slot receiver often works hand-in-hand with a nickelback, who covers him on defense.

The slot position is one of the most important positions on a football team, especially in recent years as more teams have started using three-receiver offensive sets. In order to be effective in the slot, a player must have good footwork and be able to get open quickly. He also needs to be able to block both outside linebackers and safeties.

While some people let their paranoia get the best of them and think that someone in a room somewhere is controlling everything from behind the scenes to decide who wins and who loses, this just isn’t true. There are many different factors that go into determining who wins or loses on a slot machine. The most common factor is the amount of money that is put into a slot, which can vary from 1 penny to hundreds of dollars per spin.

Another factor is the payout amount, which is determined by the odds of winning a particular combination. On older machines, these odds are listed on the face of the machine, above and below each reel, or in a help menu on video slot machines. The actual payout amount depends on how many symbols are lined up, whether they are wild or not, and what the total value of those symbols is.

In addition to the pay table, there is a meter on the slot machine that displays the current jackpot and how much time remains until the next reset. This meter is also used to keep track of how long a player has been playing the machine. Some slots have a maximum payout amount, which is determined by the manufacturer and can’t be exceeded.

Slot is an interesting word because it can be interpreted in so many ways. It can mean a place or a position, such as the slot on a door or window, or it can be a specific period of time, like an appointment or a flight. It can even refer to a certain type of machine, such as a three-reel or five-reel slot machine. Whatever the meaning, this word is a useful and fun part of our language. — Excerpted from Roget’s Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright (c) 2013, 2015 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.