1
: a piece of construction material (such as laminated rock) prepared as a shingle for roofing and siding
2
: a dense fine-grained metamorphic rock produced by the compression of various sediments (such as clay or shale) so as to develop a characteristic cleavage
3
: a tablet (as of slate) used for writing on
4
a
: a written or unwritten record (as of deeds)
started with a clean slate
b
: a list of candidates for nomination or election
5
a
: a dark purplish gray
b
: any of various grays similar in color to common roofing slates
slate
adjective
slated; slating
1
: to cover (something) with slate or a slatelike substance
slate a roof
2
: to designate (someone or something) for a specified purpose or action occurring especially at a fixed time
was slated to direct the play
The new model is slated [=scheduled] for release early next year.
slated; slating
1
: to thrash or pummel severely
2
chiefly British
: to criticize or censure severely
Synonyms
Verb (1)
Verb (2)
- bash
- baste
- bat
- batter
- beat
- belabor
- belt
- birch
- bludgeon
- buffet
- bung up
- club
- curry
- do
- drub
- fib [British]
- flog
- hammer
- hide
- lace
- lambaste
- lambast
- lash
- lather
- lick
- maul
- mess (up)
- paddle
- pelt
- pommel
- pound
- pummel
- punch out
- rough (up)
- slog
- switch
- tan
- thrash
- thresh
- thump
- tromp
- wallop
- whale
- whip
- whop
- whap
- whup
- work over
Examples of slate in a Sentence
Noun
Some school blackboards are made of slate.
The house has a slate roof.
Recent Examples on the Web
Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
The memo advocated that a slate of Trump electors should meet and vote for him in case Trump won the recount.
—Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Election-year implications This slate of rules is accompanied by a separate announcement from the Department of Energy of efforts to build out transmission lines to clean energy sources around the nation.
—Kelly Livingston, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
On the ride back from Piraeus, Mitsotakis points out the window at a laundry list of projects that are meant to underscore that Greece has turned the page, buoyed by favorable macroeconomic conditions and a slate of reforms.
—Adam Rasmi/athens, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
What has impressed Irvine and Moran about the team is the members’ ability to balance space work with a full slate of academic and extracurricular duties.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Similar slates of electors in Michigan, Georgia and Nevada have already been charged for their role in the sweeping effort to keep Trump in power.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
The company is relying on its women leadership ERG as an incubator for a slate of new employee initiatives rolling out to the wider company, including a mentorship program, a fireside chat series, and a project that pairs workers together to promote cross-team camaraderie.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Special counsel Jack Smith, however, has said the charges against Trump rest on stronger grounds because Trump allegedly schemed to submit false slates of electors to Congress.
—David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Additional problems could arise if the Social Security system isn't shored up before its trust funds are slated to be depleted in 2033, which could lead to across-the-board benefit cuts.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Rubrik, the data security company backed by Microsoft, is also slated to go public next week.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The nine-county Bay Area is slated build more than 441,000 new homes by then to meet housing demands, a roughly 15% increase in the region’s total housing stock.
—Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
As the Gaia project continues to develop its map of the Milky Way, the next installment of its data is slated to be published no sooner than 2025.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Pitcher Alec Marsh is slated to start opposite Dean Kremer at Kauffman Stadium.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Young Sheldon airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and the finale is slated to air May 16.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Miami is slated to get a pair of third-round compensatory picks next year, which would offset the loss of next year’s third-rounder.
—Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
We’re primed and ready for the start of the 2024 Friday night Concerts in the Park this month — but also pledging to save some energy for the slate of after-party gigs recently announced a few blocks away at Malt & Mash, across from the aforementioned Russ Room.
—Aaron Davis, Sacramento Bee, 28 Apr. 2024
The memo advocated that a slate of Trump electors should meet and vote for him in case Trump won the recount.
—Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Election-year implications This slate of rules is accompanied by a separate announcement from the Department of Energy of efforts to build out transmission lines to clean energy sources around the nation.
—Kelly Livingston, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2024
On the ride back from Piraeus, Mitsotakis points out the window at a laundry list of projects that are meant to underscore that Greece has turned the page, buoyed by favorable macroeconomic conditions and a slate of reforms.
—Adam Rasmi/athens, TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
What has impressed Irvine and Moran about the team is the members’ ability to balance space work with a full slate of academic and extracurricular duties.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Similar slates of electors in Michigan, Georgia and Nevada have already been charged for their role in the sweeping effort to keep Trump in power.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 24 Apr. 2024
The company is relying on its women leadership ERG as an incubator for a slate of new employee initiatives rolling out to the wider company, including a mentorship program, a fireside chat series, and a project that pairs workers together to promote cross-team camaraderie.
—Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Special counsel Jack Smith, however, has said the charges against Trump rest on stronger grounds because Trump allegedly schemed to submit false slates of electors to Congress.
—David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Verb
The couple’s other current series, Evil, is slated to end with its fourth season on Paramount+.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
Additional problems could arise if the Social Security system isn't shored up before its trust funds are slated to be depleted in 2033, which could lead to across-the-board benefit cuts.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
Rubrik, the data security company backed by Microsoft, is also slated to go public next week.
—Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The nine-county Bay Area is slated build more than 441,000 new homes by then to meet housing demands, a roughly 15% increase in the region’s total housing stock.
—Stephanie Lam, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
As the Gaia project continues to develop its map of the Milky Way, the next installment of its data is slated to be published no sooner than 2025.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024
Pitcher Alec Marsh is slated to start opposite Dean Kremer at Kauffman Stadium.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
Young Sheldon airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and the finale is slated to air May 16.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Miami is slated to get a pair of third-round compensatory picks next year, which would offset the loss of next year’s third-rounder.
—Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near slate
Cite this Entry
“Slate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slate. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
slate
1 of 2 noun1
: a piece of construction material (as layered rock) prepared as a shingle for roofing and siding
2
: a dense fine-grained rock formed by compression of shales or other rocks that splits readily into thin layers or plates
3
: a tablet of material (as slate) used for writing on
4
a
: a written or unwritten record (as of deeds)
started with a clean slate
b
: a list of candidates for nomination or election
5
a
: a dark purplish gray
b
: a gray similar in color to common roofing slate
slate
adjective
slate
2 of 2 verb
slated; slating
1
: to cover with slate or a slatelike substance
slate a roof
2
: to register or schedule for a special purpose or action
slate a meeting
slater
noun
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