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
If foreign private holders like banks and institutional investors follow suit, Swiber is worried about who will pick up the slack.
—
Greg McKenna, Fortune, 18 June 2025
As a result, Solène doesn’t finish all of the tasks on her checklist before going to bed, which means Rainbeau has to pick up the slack.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 June 2025
So far, Tisdale said, the community has helped pick up the slack from the loss of other food sources.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Instead of helping to pick up the slack, Ober has become a major question mark.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick/take up the slack
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Greg McKenna, Fortune, 18 June 2025
As a result, Solène doesn’t finish all of the tasks on her checklist before going to bed, which means Rainbeau has to pick up the slack.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 June 2025
So far, Tisdale said, the community has helped pick up the slack from the loss of other food sources.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 14 June 2025
Instead of helping to pick up the slack, Ober has become a major question mark.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pick/take up the slack
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 25 Jun. 2025.
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