A thin opening or groove in something. Examples include the slots on the sides of a slot machine or the slots in doors. A slot in a computer can be used to store data or run programs. A slot is also the location on a webpage where a web search engine places keywords or phrases that people are searching for.

A specialized table slot, the periodic slot holds data that repeats over a defined time period (such as a set of monthly evaporation coefficients for a reservoir). Like standard series slots, they can have text or numeric column headings. However, unlike standard series slots, the periodic slot can handle irregular time periods and may have different numbering for each timestep (1 Day, 1 Month etc.). It can also be used to hold a scalar value that is computed from a user-defined arithmetic expression. This type of slot has a special ornamentation in the column heading indicating its type, as shown in Figure 6.19, and opens in a Slot Dialog so you can edit the expression or data.

During the pandemic, many citizens were able to return their books and ballots through outdoor slots at libraries and election offices. Similarly, some businesses offered employees flexible work schedules that allowed them to work from home. This flexibility was made possible by offering employees flexible work hours in exchange for a lower salary. However, some employers have complained that this type of flexible scheduling is not effective and leads to a lack of productivity and morale.