A narrow notch, groove, or opening, such as a keyway in a piece of machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. Also used figuratively to describe a position in a group, series, sequence, etc.

In a slot machine, the player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a slot and activates it by pressing a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen). The reels then spin and stop to rearrange symbols. If the symbols match a winning combination, the player earns credits based on a paytable. Symbols vary by machine, but classic symbols include fruits, bells, and stylized lucky sevens. Many slot games have a theme, and bonus features align with the theme.

The slot> element has a name attribute that can be specified to identify an execution pipeline in very long instruction word (VLIW) computer architectures. The slot describes the relationship between an operation in an instruction stream and a set of functional units that execute it.

In football, the term “slot receiver” refers to a wide receiver who lines up near the line of scrimmage and runs routes that require a lot of quick cuts and evasion. These receivers typically are shorter and faster than traditional wide receivers, and they are often targeted on more than 40 percent of passing attempts in today’s pass-heavy NFL game plans. They are often used in combination with running backs and tight ends as part of an offense’s 3-1 receiver/back configuration.