splice

1 of 2

verb

spliced; splicing

transitive verb

1
a
: to unite (two ropes or two parts of a rope) by interweaving the strands
b
: to unite (two lengths of magnetic tape, photographic film, etc.) by overlapping and securing together two ends
2
: to unite, link, or insert as if by splicing
3
: to combine or insert (something) by genetic engineering
spliced a human gene for insulin into a bacterium
splicer noun

splice

2 of 2

noun

1
: a joining or joint made by splicing something
2

Illustration of splice

Illustration of splice
  • splice 1

Examples of splice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Instead, the outlet quickly spliced Trump’s comments into a handful of clips and posted them online, amplifying his comments further. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 The landscape and its issues felt similar: the effects of forest fires, the melting permafrost revealing itself in cracks that splice through forlorn buildings, and giant plugs of tundra that collapse like soufflés. Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 It’s presented as an option, not spliced in there suddenly as the default. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 TikTok users have popularized uploading full movies to the short-form video platform by splicing them up several minutes at a time. Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 17 Nov. 2023 Murch shared the evolution of the montage and splice through cinema. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 3 Mar. 2024 Moving Photos from the First Year of the Ukraine War, as Russia Continues Its Attacks At a virtual address at the U.S. Capitol shortly after the invasion began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed a video that spliced together images of pre-war Ukraine with footage of the country after. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024 Apple, the show’s sponsor, is promoting it with a heavy nod to Usher’s longevity, the ads splicing celebrity appearances with 20-year-old footage. Cady Lang, TIME, 6 Feb. 2024 In their decidedly lo-fi video, Carti and Scott take turns rapping in a garage near an SUV tank, with scenes of Carti showering a dancer with money inside a drab office space spliced throughout. Carita Rizzo, Rolling Stone, 2 Jan. 2024
Noun
The expert editing that splices between an activist's backstory and their actions in real time only ratchets up the tension for each character. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2023 Over decades of testing, there are now hundreds of splices in those critical loops. Tara Copp, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Dec. 2023 According to a report on the crash published by the Federal Aviation Administration, cutting the splice plate and using one row of rivets instead of two weakened the bulkhead in that one section by 30 percent. Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023 Juice delivers each line with spitfire accuracy, and the accompanying video splices black-and-white footage with clips of Juice performing on stage to packed venues. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2023 As the film progresses from this opening sequence, Smith splices in scenes of Black subjects in motion — dancing ballet, laying down in the grass and dribbling a basketball, among other things — in between the interviews with her four central subjects and a handful of male allies. Elaina Patton, NBC News, 28 July 2023 By comparing what was found on the ground with the repair records, the team in Japan identified the problem: A splice plate had been cut in two when it was being installed, and only one row of rivets was taking most the stress over the length of the repair. Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023 The first half of the visual splices clips of Jean laughing and rollicking with his loved ones, while the second half is a mini-documentary in which Garlington, Jean’s other friends, and his family talk about their memories of Jean’s talent, personality, and smile. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2023 To solve the problem, an overlapping splice plate was fashioned to connect this one section on the bulkhead. Andrew Zaleski, Popular Mechanics, 22 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'splice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

obsolete Dutch splissen; akin to Middle Dutch splitten to split

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1627, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of splice was circa 1525

Dictionary Entries Near splice

Cite this Entry

“Splice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/splice. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

splice

1 of 2 verb
spliced; splicing
1
: to unite (as two ropes) by weaving the strands together
2
: to unite (as pieces of film) by connecting the ends together
3
: to unite, link, or insert as if by splicing
splicer noun

splice

2 of 2 noun
: a joining or joint made by splicing

Medical Definition

splice

transitive verb
spliced; splicing
: to join together or insert (as segments of RNA or DNA) to form new genetic combinations
spliced a human gene for insulin into a bacterium
see gene-splicing

More from Merriam-Webster on splice

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