slacking

slack ¹

 (slăk)

adj. slack·er, slack·est

1. Not tense or taut; loose: a slack rope; slack muscles. See Synonyms at loose.

2.

a. Lacking in activity; not busy: a slack season for the travel business.

b. Moving slowly; sluggish: a slack pace.

3. Lacking in diligence or due care or concern; negligent: a slack worker. See Synonyms at negligent.

4. Flowing or blowing with little speed: a slack current; slack winds.

5. Linguistics Pronounced with the muscles of the tongue and jaw relatively relaxed; lax.

v. slacked, slack·ing, slacks

v.tr.

1.

a. To make looser or less taut: slacked the sail.

b. To make slower: slacked our pace.

2. To be careless or remiss in doing: slack one's duty.

3. To slake (lime).

v.intr.

1. To be or become slack.

2. To be inactive or avoid work: slacked around the house all day.

n.

1. A loose part, as of a rope or sail: hauled in the slack.

2. A period of little activity; a lull: a slack in business.

3.

a. A cessation of movement in a current of air or water.

b. An area of still water.

4. Unused capacity: still some slack in the economy.

5. slacks Casual pants that are not part of a suit.

adv.

In a slack manner: a banner hanging slack.

Phrasal Verb:

slack off

1. To decrease in activity or intensity.

2. To work less intensely than is required or expected: slacked off at work and started surfing the internet.

Idiom:

cut/give (someone) some slack

Slang To make an allowance for (someone), as in allowing more time to finish something.

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[Middle English slak, from Old English slæc; see slēg- in Indo-European roots.]

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slack′ly adv.

slack′ness n.

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slack ²

 (slăk)

n.

A mixture of coal fragments, coal dust, and dirt that remains after screening coal.

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[Middle English sleck.]

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slack ³

 (slăk)

n. Chiefly British

1. A small dell or hollow.

2. A bog; a morass.

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[Middle English slak, from Old Norse slakki.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

slacking - the evasion of work or duty     goldbricking, goofing off, shirking, soldiering dodging, escape, evasion - nonperformance of something distasteful (as by deceit or trickery) that you are supposed to do; "his evasion of his clear duty was reprehensible"; "that escape from the consequences is possible but unattractive"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.