Meaning & use
slacking
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“slacking” is a form of “slack”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveinformaldisapproving
Avoiding work or not trying as hard as you should.
Grammar: No object; often slack off: stop slacking off and finish your homework.
Patterns
- slack off
- slack on something
He got fired for slacking on the job.
Stop slacking and help us carry these boxes.
She has been slacking off since the exams ended.
verbtransitive or intransitivetechnical
Letting a rope, line or cord become looser.
Grammar: Often slack off or slacken: slack the rope.
Patterns
- slack something off
- slack off
The sailor was slacking the rope to ease the tension.
He kept slacking the line so the kite could fly higher.
The cable began slacking when the load was removed.
Word forms
| third person singular | slacks |
|---|---|
| past tense | slacked |
| past participle | slacked |
| -ing form | slacking |
Common combinations
- slacking off
- I have been slacking off at the gym lately.
- caught slacking
- The manager caught two interns slacking.
- stop slacking
- Stop slacking and finish your essay.
- slacking on the job
- No one is slacking on the job this week.
- slacking on training
- The team was slacking on training before the final.
Synonyms and how they differ
- loafing
- Loafing means idly doing nothing, often by choice, while slacking suggests failing to work as hard as expected.
- shirking
- Shirking is more serious and means deliberately avoiding a duty, whereas slacking is lighter.
- goofing off
- Goofing off adds a note of playfulness, while slacking sounds like laziness.
- idling
- Idling just means doing nothing, without any criticism of not working hard.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: slacking or slaking?
slacking vs slaking
Slaking means satisfying a thirst, as in slaking your thirst; it has nothing to do with avoiding work.
Practice
The coach warned the players that she would not tolerate anyone ______ in practice.
Choose one answer.
Slacking off is the fixed phrasal verb for avoiding effort. The other particles do not form a standard expression with this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “slacking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.