pick/take up the slack
idiom
: to provide or do something that is missing or not getting done
The manager has to take up the slack when employees don't do their jobs correctly.
When he didn't get the pay raise he was expecting, he had to take another job to pick up the slack for more money.
Examples of pick/take up the slack in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With summer here the last thing on anyone’s mind is household chores — so invest in a smart cleaning tool that can pick up the slack.
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Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 23 June 2024
Yet the migrants have come anyway, leaving states and municipalities to pick up the slack; New York City has aided more than 200,000, with scant support from Albany and Washington.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 June 2024
Maybe Samsung's competitors could just pick up the slack.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 7 June 2024
Since the elimination of Pontiac and their ever popular performance style in GM’s fleet, Cadillac has had no choice but to pick up the slack and provide an array of vehicles to consumers, keeping in mind, price, quality and demand are all at the fore-front.
—Marc D Grasso, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pick/take up the slack 
Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 23 June 2024
Yet the migrants have come anyway, leaving states and municipalities to pick up the slack; New York City has aided more than 200,000, with scant support from Albany and Washington.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 June 2024
Maybe Samsung's competitors could just pick up the slack.
—Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 7 June 2024
Since the elimination of Pontiac and their ever popular performance style in GM’s fleet, Cadillac has had no choice but to pick up the slack and provide an array of vehicles to consumers, keeping in mind, price, quality and demand are all at the fore-front.
—Marc D Grasso, Hartford Courant, 11 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for pick/take up the slack
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pick/take up the slack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Cite this Entry
“Pick/take up the slack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pick%2Ftake%20up%20the%20slack. Accessed 5 Jul. 2024.
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