silver

noun

sil·ver | \ˈsil-vər

Definition of silver

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

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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Synonyms for silver

Synonyms: Noun

flatware, silverware, tableware

Synonyms: Adjective

gray (also grey), grayish, leaden, silvery, slate, slaty (also slatey), steely

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

Police are searching for a male and a vehicle is described as an older, silver, four-door vehicle with minor collision damage on the right side. — Kelsey Mo, azcentral, "Shooter sought by police after man killed at Phoenix apartments," 3 July 2018 This time around, the silver-haired politician tried to broaden his base by adopting a less-confrontational approach. — Robbie Whelan, WSJ, "Mexicans Head to Polls to Elect President," 1 July 2018 The silver, from an image of Gray on life support in the hospital, evokes his death. — Graham Ambrose, BostonGlobe.com, "Installation at the Gardner honors the ‘unfinished business’ of Freddie Gray," 28 June 2018 The Sheriff’s Office is thanking community members for providing information and tips that allowed them to locate and recover the vehicle, a silver 2006 Chrysler Pacifica, according to a news release from the office. — Megan Jones, Aurora Beacon-News, "Police: Car found that may have been involved in hit-and-run crash that killed Oswego High School softball coach," 28 June 2018 Next up are upgrades to the guestrooms, where the current brown color scheme will be replaced with plum, silver, sage and gold accents. — Chabeli Herrera, miamiherald, "The Biltmore Hotel is transforming for the 21st century. You won't recognize the rooms.," 27 June 2018 Incas from what is now Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina traveled to Peru and dressed in gold and silver jewelry for the festivity featuring theater, dance and llama sacrifices. — Washington Post, "AP PHOTOS: Incan festival pays homage to sun across Andes," 25 June 2018 This year, the silver-haired politician has amassed a campaign war chest of $309,118.13 for his primary battle against local attorney Brent Ackerson. — Andrew Keiper, Fox News, "Kentucky politician's staffers forced to make campaign donations, ex-employees claim," 22 May 2018 She was caught attempting to shoplift silver jewelry and spent a night in jail. — Marsha Mercer, The Christian Science Monitor, "As sports betting expands, gambling addiction services fall behind," 18 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Chelimo and Tanui are Olympic silver medalists, Chelimo in the 5,000 and Tanui in the 10,000. — Ken Goe, OregonLive.com, "King Cheserek returns to Hayward for tonight's Pre two-mile: Oregon track & field rundown," 25 May 2018 Lucena and Dalhausser came through with a convincing 21-12, 21-17 victory over 2016 Olympic silver medalists Paolo Nicolia and Daniele Lupo of Italy at the Red Bull Beach Arena. — Emmett Hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "U.S. Olympians secure gold in Beach Volleyball Major Series tournament," 11 Mar. 2018 While the firm ground in London tested India's ability without footwear, the cold turf and quality of the opposition proved too much at Töölön Pallokenttä, as Yugoslavia (eventual silver medalists) won 10-1. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 17 Weeks to Go - Did India Drop Out of 1950 Because They Refused to Wear Boots?," 25 Feb. 2018 Crime Scene Division detectives are investigating and are looking for a silver 2003-2006 Infinity G35 with possible damage on the passenger side of the front bumper. — David Owens, courant.com, "Police Investigate Death Of Woman Found On Wethersfield Avenue," 7 July 2018 Boynton Beach police describe the suspect as an older white man who was driving a two-door silver car. — Randy Roguski, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Trump supporter clobbered for his allegiance to the president," 6 July 2018 Dashcam footage from the patrolman’s cruiser showed the officer pulling over a silver car on April 16, the Chronicle-Telegram reported. — Kathleen Joyce, Fox News, "Police officer fired after pulling over, detaining daughter and boyfriend," 22 June 2018 Two years ago, after the soul-stirring funeral of a friend’s beloved mother, a glamorous, gorgeous, silver-haired black woman of a certain age approached me in a parking lot filled with hundreds of mourners. — Kierna Mayo, The Root, "How Bill Cosby Divided Black America," 28 Apr. 2018 And that Doug and Jean, a sweet, silver-haired couple who have been married for 56 years, whisper to each other in French before kissing good night. — Sunset, "The West’s Best Place for a Wildlife Safari," 22 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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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Learn More about silver

Dictionary Entries near silver

Phrases Related to silver

born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

every cloud has a silver lining

Statistics for silver

Last Updated

21 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for silver

The first known use of silver was before the 12th century

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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)

: 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

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