silver

noun sil·ver \ ˈsil-vər \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of silver

1 : a white ductile very malleable metallic element that is capable of a high degree of polish, is chiefly monovalent in compounds, and has the highest thermal and electric conductivity of any substance — see Chemical Elements Table

2 : silver as a commodity

the value of silver has risen

3 : coin made of silver

4 : articles (such as hollowware or table flatware) made of or plated with silver; also : similar articles and especially flatware of other metals (such as stainless steel)

5 : a nearly neutral slightly brownish medium gray

6 : coho

7 : a silver medal awarded as the second prize in a competiton

See silver defined for English-language learners

See silver defined for kids

Examples of silver in a Sentence

a bracelet made of silver
an artist who works in silver and gold
a wooden statue inlaid with silver
We need to polish the silver.

Recent Examples of silver from the Web

Inside of it was the house deed, silver and gold coins and an envelope filled with $4,800 in cash.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "Advertisement - Continue Reading Below," 26 Oct. 2017
Tiny little flecks of silver cover the sand right now as shoals of silvery minnows beach themselves in the tides.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "The Religious Right’s Suicidal Gay Obsession," 8 Sep. 2017
The finishing touch is favorite silver-and-pearls multi-strand necklace.

— catherine hageman, Marie Claire, "The Perfect Confidence-Boosting Outfit," 1 Mar. 2012
Steve Saunders said a vehicle traveling South on Glenway Avenue was struck from behind and someone driving a silver Nissan tried to flee the scene.

— sarah brookbank, Cincinnati.com, "2 schools on lockdown Wednesday afternoon due to shootings," 1 Nov. 2017
It is seen as a way to promote the Saudi capital markets, and avoid the impression of selling off the family silver to foreigners.

— The Economist, "My kingdom for a bourseSaudi Aramco’s IPO is a mess," 19 Oct. 2017
This will give you that matte-meets-shiny-silver combo.

— carly cardellino, Cosmopolitan, "7 Gorgeous Nail Art Looks To Wear This Holiday," 16 Oct. 2017
The legs are posable and come in blue, black, or silver (though there are just 50 units of each available).

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "A Steampunk Mechanical Octopus Clock Is Certainly One Way To Tell the Time," 27 Sep. 2017
Once, Ross recalled, police found a silver Nissan Xterra abandoned on the interstate.

— marisa kwiatkowski, The Courier-Journal, "'It doesn't make sense': The mysterious death of Kristy Kelley," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'silver.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of silver

Middle English, from Old English seolfor; akin to Old High German silbar silver, Lithuanian sidabras

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

silver Synonyms

Synonyms

flatware, silverware, tableware;

Related Words

place setting, setting, setup;

silver plate;

cutlery;

chopstick, fork, knife, spoon, tablespoon, teaspoon;

silver

adjective

Definition of silver

1 : made of silver

2 : resembling silver: such as

a (1) : having a white lustrous sheen

(2) : of or tending towards the color silver

silver fur

a silver gray

b : giving a soft resonant sound : dulcet in tone

c : eloquently persuasive

3 : consisting of or yielding silver

4 : of, relating to, or characteristic of silver

5 : advocating the use of silver as a standard of currency

6 : of, relating to, or being a 25th anniversary or its celebration

See silver defined for English-language learners

Examples of silver in a Sentence

a dress trimmed with silver ribbon
a distinguished-looking gentleman with silver hair

Recent Examples of silver from the Web

Illinois regulators instructed insurance companies, however, to load those higher costs into silver level plans, triggering an increase in the amount of the tax credits people could receive.

— lisa schencker, chicagotribune.com, "Illinois Obamacare sign-ups down, but so were costs for many," 4 Apr. 2018
Last year, Glago gave her a sterling silver pendant in the shape of a kidney to commemorate the anniversary of the transplant surgery.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "A six-way kidney swap unites three families," 1 Apr. 2018
More than half of silver demand comes from industrial uses in everything from solar panels to medical devices.

— amrith ramkumar, WSJ, "Sliding Silver Sends Scary Signal," 25 Mar. 2018
The jersey features a light gray base, a darker, silver trim, maroon numbers and lettering and a sleek, silver font for the players’ nameplates on the back.

— jake fischer, SI.com, "‘Gray Became the New Black’: How College Basketball Jerseys Went Platinum," 21 Mar. 2018
Her hair also reflects this, being a dark purple bowl-cut with a silver crown.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "This 89-Year-Old Director Is Our New Style Icon," 4 Mar. 2018
There was nobody outside the building to greet her, so Wolf made her way into the lobby, where a silver-haired security guard was chatting with a maintenance worker.

— norman vanamee, Town & Country, "Will Yale Finally Listen to Naomi Wolf?," 23 Jan. 2018
The five-story garage will have typical red and silver-gray colored brick to give it a vintage look that matches Gilbert's Heritage District.

— ryan santistevan, azcentral, "$14M parking garage coming to Gilbert's Heritage District," 20 Mar. 2018
The luxury jeweler has struggled with years of declining sales but new products, including a home-goods collection featuring items like $350 gold crazy straws and $9,000 sterling silver balls of yarn, are clicking with customers.

— elizabeth winkler, WSJ, "Don’t Be Fooled by Tiffany’s Slowdown," 16 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of silver

before 12th century

silver Synonyms

silver

verb

Definition of silver

silvered; silvering play \ˈsil-v(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to cover with silver (as by electroplating)

b : to coat with a substance (such as a metal) resembling silver

2 a : to give a silvery luster to

b : to make white like silver

—

silverer

play \ˈsil-vər-ər\ noun

See silver defined for English-language learners

Examples of silver in a Sentence

The surface of the lake was silvered by the moonlight.

Recent Examples of silver from the Web

As the years silvered his hair, his decision to leave it undyed, rare among high-ranking cadres, marked him out as different, even a bit daring.

— The Economist, "No ordinary ZhouZhou Xiaochuan, China’s central-bank chief, is about to retire," 1 Feb. 2018
For the color of rain and silvered rivers scribbled on distant hills.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Loss And Affirmation: The Poems Of Julia Morris Paul," 18 July 2017
Today, my mischievous father is forever 54, with a head of brown hair, just silvered at the temples.

— special to the denver post, The Denver Post, "Mind’s Eye: On Father’s Day, I think of pranks," 14 June 2017
But the defining shot of last year's Finals and maybe of this NBA era was made by the Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving over Steph Curry in the last minute of the last game of last year's Finals, reducing the Warriors to silver medalists.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "NBA Finals 2017: Golden State shoots down Cleveland Cavaliers again for 2-0 lead: Bill Livingston (photos)," 4 June 2017

First Known Use of silver

14th century

SILVER Defined for English Language Learners

silver

noun

Definition of silver for English Language Learners

: a soft grayish-white metal that is very valuable and is used to make jewelry, coins, knives, forks, etc.
: objects (such as knives, forks, teapots, candlesticks, etc.) that are made of or covered with silver
: coins that are made of silver

silver

adjective

Definition of silver for English Language Learners

: made of silver
: containing silver
: of or relating to silver

silver

verb

Definition of silver for English Language Learners

: to cover (something, such as a mirror) with a thin layer of silver or something that looks like silver
: to make (something) shine like silver

SILVER Defined for Kids

silver

noun sil·ver \ ˈsil-vər \

Definition of silver for Students

1 : a soft white metallic chemical element that can be polished and is used for money, jewelry and ornaments, and table utensils

2 : coin made of silver

3 : silverware

table silver

4 : a medal made of silver that is given to someone who wins second place in a contest

5 : a medium gray

silver

adjective

Definition of silver for Students

1 : made of, coated with, or yielding the soft white metallic chemical element silver

a silver teapot

2 : having the medium gray color of silver

silver hair

silver

verb

Definition of silver for Students

silvered; silvering

: to coat with or as if with silver

Before us, the countryside unfolded, silvered by frost and moonlight.
—Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

Medical Dictionary

silver

noun sil·ver \ ˈsil-vər \

medical Definition of silver

: a white metallic element that is sonorous, ductile, very malleable, capable of a high degree of polish, and chiefly monovalent in compounds, and that has the highest thermal and electric conductivity of any substance —symbol Ag — see Chemical Elements Table