silver

sil·ver | \ ˈsil-vər

Definition of silver

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a very malleable metallic chemical element with atomic number 47 that is capable of a high degree of polish, has the highest thermal and electric conductivity of any substance, and that is used especially in jewelry and tableware, in electronics, and as an antimicrobial — 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 competition

silver

adjective

Definition of silver (Entry 2 of 3)

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

silver

verb

silvered; silvering\ ˈsil-v(ə-)riŋ

Definition of silver (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

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

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

2a : to give a silvery luster to

b : to make white like silver

Other Words from silver Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about silver

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Examples of silver in a Sentence

Noun 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. Adjective a dress trimmed with silver ribbon a distinguished-looking gentleman with silver hair Verb The surface of the lake was silvered by the moonlight.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models are available in gold, silver, blue and graphite. — Troy L. Smith, cleveland, "iPhone 12: How to pre-order and buy Apple’s new phone," 16 Oct. 2020 The car will be available in Fighter Jet Gray—exclusive to the Mach 1, Ford says—as well as seven other shades: silver, black, white, blue, and red, plus Twister Orange and Grabber Yellow. — Colin Beresford, Car and Driver, "2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Orders Open at Starting Price of $52,915," 14 Oct. 2020 Local jeweler Pam Older creates custom, limited-edition pieces using silver, gold, and semi-precious and precious stones. — Hannah Selinger, WSJ, "Welcome to Newburyport, Where Million-Dollar Homes Are Flying Off the Shelves," 14 Oct. 2020 Logan is used to things being handed to him on a silver platter, and his pretension drives a wedge between them. — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, "How Did Gilmore Girls Become About The Gilmore Boys?," 7 Oct. 2020 The most popular pair are these custom studs, which have over 3,200 positive reviews and are available in a silver, gold, or rose gold finish. — Amanda Tarlton, USA TODAY, "Gwyneth Paltrow's 'VOTE' earrings sold out in 48 hours—here’s where you can get them," 28 Sep. 2020 That money paid for modern Canadian coins, mostly silver, some gold, which were actually worth less than half of that amount at the time, about $22,000. — Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "Metals.com is shut down by US regulators after years of allegedly scamming seniors," 25 Sep. 2020 His brassy presence in the halls of power is as much an aesthetic statement as a political one, which Ray underlines by showing a White House staffer serving him a Filet-O-Fish sandwich on a gleaming silver platter. — James Poniewozik, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Comey Rule’ and What a Fool Believes," 24 Sep. 2020 Dental amalgam fillings are a mixture of silver, tin, copper and mercury. — Jen Christensen, CNN, "FDA warns popular dental filling could cause health problems for some patients," 24 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Another of pandemic's very few silver linings is that NYJ fans aren't paying to watch this team in person. — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, "NFL power rankings: Buccaneers, Bills poised to break into top five," 6 Oct. 2020 And indeed, there are numerous persuasive silver linings to the advent of the online show — fewer flights, lower costs and a somewhat democratic bent among them — though something else is lost. — Katherine Cusumano, New York Times, "Amid a Fashion Month Like No Other, Scenes of a Not-So-Distant Past," 2 Oct. 2020 For Pelley, the realignment of the traditional 'cup years' is one of the silver linings to the postponement. — Sandy Thin, CNN, "The inside story of the Ryder Cup's postponement," 26 Sep. 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has yielded few silver linings, but for this Italian couple, the lockdown led them to each other. — Washington Post, "Italian couple ‘Romeo and Juliet’ met from their balconies during lockdown. Now they’re engaged.," 24 Sep. 2020 Which brings the forecasts to silver linings: The vast majority of the state remains relatively intact, with huntable big game, upland birds and waterfowl. — oregonlive, "Oregon hunting preview 2020: What to know about wildfire damage, plus outlooks for big game, upland birds, waterfowl," 25 Sep. 2020 The man behind the wheel of a silver Mercedes-Benz who led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase on Florida’s Turnpike, has been arrested. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Driver who led police on high-speed chase on Florida’s Turnpike is behind bars," 24 Sep. 2020 There are really no silver linings with the deadly pandemic, but the al fresco mode has given a new vibrance to commercial areas and some neighborhoods, while keeping more people employed and businesses open. — Michael Smolens Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: San Diego’s expanded outdoor dining lauded as ashes fall from the sky," 11 Sep. 2020 During quarantine and the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been other silver linings for McLean, who should have been on tour. — Kathleen Christiansen, orlandosentinel.com, "Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean discusses ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ coronavirus, more," 10 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The inside surface of this object is silvered and 100% reflective (or as close to it as practically possible). — Quanta Magazine, "How to Design a Perpetual Energy Machine," 1 Apr. 2020 These 400 silvered glass panels, tucked into the western edge of that hot, hot desert, are there to generate heat 15 times that amount. — Laura Mallonee, Wired, "Automated Solar Arrays Could Help Incinerate Global Warming," 21 Jan. 2020 The grass was silvered with dew, the tears of Aurora, in Roman mythology, the goddess of dawn who wept each sunrise for her dead son, Memnon. — Maureen Stanton, Longreads, "Through a Glass, Tearfully," 17 Jan. 2020 His silvered-mirror furniture from the '30s and '40s is all the rage today, but eight years ago this bed ended up in a sleepy sale at Sotheby's. — Frances Schultz, House Beautiful, "Inside Bunny Williams's Silvery, Shimmery Bedroom," 8 Nov. 2012 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

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.

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Last Updated

22 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Silver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silver. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for silver

silver

noun

English Language Learners Definition of silver

(Entry 1 of 3)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of silver (Entry 2 of 3)

: made of silver

: containing silver

: of or relating to silver

silver

verb

English Language Learners Definition of silver (Entry 3 of 3)

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

literary : to make (something) shine like silver

See the full definition for silver in the English Language Learners Dictionary

silver

noun

sil·ver | \ ˈsil-vər

Kids Definition of silver

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

Kids Definition of silver (Entry 2 of 3)

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

silvered; silvering

Kids Definition of silver (Entry 3 of 3)

: to coat with or as if with silver Before us, the countryside unfolded, silvered by frost and moonlight.— Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder

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

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