slot machine

noun

1. a gambling machine operated by inserting coins into a slot and pulling a handle that activates a set of spinning symbols on wheels, the final alignment of which determines the payoff that is released into a receptacle at the bottom.
2. any machine operated by inserting coins into a slot, as a vending machine.

slot machine

noun

1. a machine, esp one for selling small articles or for gambling, activated by placing a coin or metal disc in a slot

Word History and Origins

Origin of slot machine¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Such are our funeral parlors for food, where mechanical reproduction haunts nourishment and we eat from the giant slot machines of industry.

From Los Angeles Times

Kentucky purses have reached ridiculously high levels since the introduction of Historical Horse Racing, marketed as a game of skill using old horse races as content but is really little more than a slot machine.

From Los Angeles Times

Social media platforms, which started out by bringing old friends together and giving voice to the otherwise powerless, have become “social slot machines” compelling excessive use.

From Los Angeles Times

In the 1980s, it became the first country to deregulate its gambling industry, making it possible for slot machines - once only permitted inside casinos - to expand into licensed pubs and clubs.

From BBC

Wong said smart vapes use their gimmicks to entice people in the same way that a slot machine might light up and make sounds.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• vending machine