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Slashing is when the stake delegated to a validator node gets reduced - typically by burning (destroying) the staked tokens - as agreed under consensus majority by the rest of the network.
This is a security feature that can be implemented within delegated proof of stake systems to encourage validators to behave honestly or reliably, e.g. not sign a double spend transaction.
Slashing is highly complicated.
Further reading:
- What's the difference between Proof of Stake (PoS) and Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS)?
- What is a Sybil attack?
- What is a consensus protocol?
- What is staking?
