slag

1 of 3

noun (1)

: the dross or scoria of a metal

slag

2 of 3

noun (2)

chiefly British slang
: a lewd or promiscuous woman

slag

3 of 3

verb

slagged; slagging

transitive verb

chiefly British
: to criticize harshly

Examples of slag in a Sentence

Verb London reviewers slagged off the new play for being another kitchen-sink drama.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Steel mills dumped slag on the preserve’s southern portions. Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2024 Instead, what had been one of Biden’s most persistent slags suddenly got shifted to Trump, who is just three years his junior. Philip Elliott, TIME, 16 Oct. 2024
Verb
This had more than local repercussions, as the enmity trailed all the way back to the Philippines, where relatives in the two families slagged one another off on social media. Han Ong, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023 Jordan Mendoza Offenses finding footing early on in Creighton-SDSU The perimeter shooting from both teams slagged to start the game between No. 6 Creighton and No. 5 San Diego State, with both teams putting up an airball on three-point attempts on consecutive possessions. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for slag 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle Low German slagge

Noun (2)

earlier argot slag coward, worthless person

Verb

probably from slag entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1552, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1971, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slag was in 1552

Dictionary Entries Near slag

Cite this Entry

“Slag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slag. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

slag

noun
ˈslag
: waste left after the melting of ores and the separation of the metal from them

More from Merriam-Webster on slag

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!