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
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Almost immediately, he has been sidelined; Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, and Jalen Virgil will hopefully pick up the slack.
—
David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Traditional thinking says if one area of your business falters, another will pick up the slack.
—Mark Kane, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Having a partner to pick up the slack so that the workload and responsibility didn’t rest on one set of shoulders also proved vital, as Trevillian points out.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Despite the sluggish pace of earnings growth so far in the third quarter, some companies have historically outpaced analysts’ estimates and could help pick up the slack for the broader market.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pick/take up the slack 
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David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Traditional thinking says if one area of your business falters, another will pick up the slack.
—Mark Kane, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Having a partner to pick up the slack so that the workload and responsibility didn’t rest on one set of shoulders also proved vital, as Trevillian points out.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Despite the sluggish pace of earnings growth so far in the third quarter, some companies have historically outpaced analysts’ estimates and could help pick up the slack for the broader market.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2024
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 21 Nov. 2024.
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