A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as a keyway in a piece of machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. Also: a position in a group, series, or sequence: the slot for an upcoming speech.

In a slot machine, a player inserts cash or, in “ticket-in, ticket-out” machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into a designated slot and activates the machine by pressing a lever or button (either physical or on a touchscreen). The reels then spin and stop to rearrange symbols; if the player matches a winning combination of symbols according to the pay table, they earn credits based on their bet size. The symbols vary by machine, but classic symbols include fruit and stylized lucky sevens. Most slot games have a theme and bonus features aligned with that theme.

A position in a team’s offensive scheme, usually between the tight end and wide receiver. Slot receivers line up a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and are versatile enough to run routes up, in, or out. They’re also used to block for running backs and wideouts, picking up blitzes from linebackers or secondary players and giving the runner more space.