A narrow notch, groove, or opening, as a keyway in machinery or a slit for a coin in a vending machine. Also: (in Australia Rules Football, rugby) a position between the centres, behind the fullback and in front of one of the wings, from which a player kicks for a goal. (Compare wing, wingback, fullback.)

In computer technology, a set of holes, or slots, in a motherboard that accept expansion cards. The number of slots and their location on the motherboard is important because they determine how many memory cards can be installed, what speed the cards can run at, and how much power each card will consume. A slot may also refer to a reserved or allocated time and place for an aircraft to take off or land, as determined by an airport or air-traffic control authority.

From Middle English slote, from sleutana (“to lock”), from Proto-Germanic *sluta, from Old High German *slotu, from Latin slitus (“slit”). Also: (in Australian Rules Football, rugby) a position between centre and one of the wings from which a player kicks for

The Slot receiver is becoming more and more of a necessity on every NFL team. They are a very important part of the offense and can make it really difficult for defenses to stop them. The first wide receiver to get a lot of recognition for his work from the slot was Tyreek Hill, followed by Cole Beasley and now Juju Smith-Schuster. All three of these players are extremely talented and have proven to be very difficult for opposing teams to stop.

In order to be successful in the Slot, a player needs to have a high level of skills in several areas. They need to have great footwork and timing, along with the ability to run precise routes. They also need to be very precise in their pass routes and know how to read defenses.

Another area that a Slot receiver needs to excel in is blocking. Because they usually line up closer to the center of the field than other wide receivers, Slot receivers need to be able to block both inside and outside linebackers and safeties. They also need to be able to perform a crack back block on defensive ends on running plays.

Finally, a Slot receiver should be very good at running the ball. They will often be asked to act as a decoy on pitch and reverse plays, and they also need to have the ability to carry the ball if needed on end-arounds or quarterback scrambles.