sliced; slicing
1
: to cut with or as if with a knife
2
: to stir or spread with a slice
3
: to hit (a ball) so that a slice results
1
: to slice something
2
: to move with a cutting action
the ship sliced through the waves
slicer
noun
1
a
: a thin flat piece cut from something
b
: a wedge-shaped piece (as of pie or cake)
2
: a spatula for spreading paint or ink
3
: a serving knife with wedge-shaped blade
a fish slice
4
: a flight of a ball that deviates from a straight course in the direction of the dominant hand of the player propelling it
also
: a ball following such a course compare hook
Synonyms
Examples of slice in a Sentence
Verb
She sliced the lemon in half.
He sliced open his finger while cleaning the fish.
The knife sliced through the cake easily.
Noun
thin slices of roast beef
The Fourth of July parade was a real slice of Americana.
He hit a slice into the right rough.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
And embodying the American Indigenous communities sliced through and displaced by the railway is singer-guitarist Pura Fé of the Tuscarora Indian Nation.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2023
However, their sharp teeth and impressive jaws could both hold down and slice through just about anything in their way, including the humans who occupied the same land as these predators around 300,000 years ago.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023
The Lakers’ 13-point lead had been sliced to six points early in the fourth quarter, which made Anthony Davis concerned enough to get off the bench and walk toward the scorer’s table.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
In one of the white domes, a massive conveyer belt runs the piping toward a device that slices it into manageably sized pieces.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
This old-fashioned, double-crust pie may look ordinary on the outside, but when it's sliced, the inside reveals vibrant orange layers of sweet potatoes flecked with spices and sweetened with sugar and sorghum syrup.
—Nancie McDermott, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2023
Decades of research has affirmed that Basilosaurus was an impressive predator, using piercing and slicing teeth to feed on large fish, sharks and even other whales.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
The buttery dough gets rolled into logs and then sliced for baking.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 25 Nov. 2023
By bringing existential risk to the forefront of international conversations, from the podium of a multibillion-dollar tech company, OpenAI’s CEO had propelled relatively fringe ideas popular among a certain slice of effective altruists into the mainstream.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023
For dessert, guests enjoyed slices of the couple's five-tier lemon cake topped with cream cheese frosting.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
This one can fit nine slices of toast, an entire 14-lb. turkey, a 5-qt.
—Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2023
Sear each slice until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
—Florence O'Connor, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023
Blend until smooth, then slowly bled in the butter one slice at a time.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
To get Asa and Chris-Anne to the scale, keeper Trish Jarvis has blueberries, grapes and apple slices on standby.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and serve or store in an airtight container about 1 week.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2023
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Verb
There are also major markdowns on other gadgets, like this digital meat thermometer and this vegetable chopper that can slice, mince, and cut produce eight different ways.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023
And embodying the American Indigenous communities sliced through and displaced by the railway is singer-guitarist Pura Fé of the Tuscarora Indian Nation.
—Steve Hochman, SPIN, 20 Nov. 2023
However, their sharp teeth and impressive jaws could both hold down and slice through just about anything in their way, including the humans who occupied the same land as these predators around 300,000 years ago.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023
The Lakers’ 13-point lead had been sliced to six points early in the fourth quarter, which made Anthony Davis concerned enough to get off the bench and walk toward the scorer’s table.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 13 Nov. 2023
In one of the white domes, a massive conveyer belt runs the piping toward a device that slices it into manageably sized pieces.
—Abe Streep, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023
This old-fashioned, double-crust pie may look ordinary on the outside, but when it's sliced, the inside reveals vibrant orange layers of sweet potatoes flecked with spices and sweetened with sugar and sorghum syrup.
—Nancie McDermott, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2023
Decades of research has affirmed that Basilosaurus was an impressive predator, using piercing and slicing teeth to feed on large fish, sharks and even other whales.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
The buttery dough gets rolled into logs and then sliced for baking.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Nov. 2023
Noun
The House requires simple majorities for most legislation to pass, and in a chamber with narrow margins, any small slice of the party in control can hold up legislation or be a kingmaker -- as seen earlier this year when a group of eight Republicans ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 25 Nov. 2023
By bringing existential risk to the forefront of international conversations, from the podium of a multibillion-dollar tech company, OpenAI’s CEO had propelled relatively fringe ideas popular among a certain slice of effective altruists into the mainstream.
—Peter Guest, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023
For dessert, guests enjoyed slices of the couple's five-tier lemon cake topped with cream cheese frosting.
—Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
This one can fit nine slices of toast, an entire 14-lb. turkey, a 5-qt.
—Tiffany Hopkins, Bon Appétit, 22 Nov. 2023
Sear each slice until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
—Florence O'Connor, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2023
Blend until smooth, then slowly bled in the butter one slice at a time.
—Matthew Every, Field & Stream, 22 Nov. 2023
To get Asa and Chris-Anne to the scale, keeper Trish Jarvis has blueberries, grapes and apple slices on standby.
—Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and serve or store in an airtight container about 1 week.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 16 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slice.' 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
Middle English sklicen, from Anglo-French esclicer to splinter, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German slīzan to tear apart — more at slit
Noun
Middle English sclise, slise, from Anglo-French esclice splinter, from esclicer
First Known Use
Verb
1551, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing slice
Dictionary Entries Near slice
Cite this Entry
“Slice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slice. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
slice
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a thin flat piece cut from something
a slice of bread
b
: a wedge-shaped piece (as of pie or cake)
2
: the flight of a ball curving to the right when hit by someone right-handed or to the left when hit by someone left-handed
slice
2 of 2 verb
sliced; slicing
1
a
: to cut with or as if with a knife
b
: to cut something into slices
2
: to hit a ball so that a slice results
slicer
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on slice
Nglish: Translation of slice for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of slice for Arabic Speakers
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