slit

play

noun \ ˈslit \

Definition of slit

:a long narrow cut or opening

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slit

adjective

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slitless

play \ˈslit-ləs\ adjective

See slit defined for English-language learners

Examples of slit in a Sentence

You could see through the slit in the fence.
The skirt has a slit on one side.
a dress with a slit skirt

Recent Examples of slit from the Web

The prostitutes also requested that a small locker be built within the bed frame with a slit to insert cash.

— gisela williams, New York Times, "A Dutch Effort to Form a Prostitute Cooperative Is Met With Hope and Skepticism," 14 Aug. 2017
This is a town that, for the most part, forgave running back Isaiah Crowell for posting a depiction of a police officer getting his throat slit after the initial backlash from fans and police.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "Media Circus: How Would Your Market React to the Team Signing Colin Kaepernick?," 7 Aug. 2017
But some days at recess, my classmates pulled the corners of their eyes back so that their prismatic green or blue pupils disappeared behind taut slits of skin.

— Longreads, "My Mongolian Spot," 1 Aug. 2017
This must mean, somehow, that the particle splits into two, passes through both slits, and interferes with itself!

— lee phillips, Ars Technica, "A brief history of quantum alternatives," 28 July 2017
For someone who's has worn bejeweled skin-tight jumpsuits, thigh-high slits, and one of the most epic plunging necklines of all time, wearing a revealing ensemble hardly comes as a surprise, especially on her birthday.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Of Course J-Lo Wore a Sheer Naked Dress for Her Birthday," 24 July 2017
Knitwear can seem repetitive, but Victor Glemaud’s take on the staple is refreshing, with the cutout sections, slits, and perforations that are becoming his signature.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "There Are More Black Designers in the CFDA Now Than Ever Before," 19 July 2017
Use a knife to cut a small slit in the top of each pie.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Peach and Blackberry Hand Pies," 11 July 2017
And the larva also has pharyngeal slits, a feature found throughout the chordates and vertebrates.

— jennifer frazer, Scientific American Blog Network, "Alien Creature Swarming Oregon's Coast Is Actually a Close Relative [Video]," 10 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of slit

Middle English, from slitten

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 12th century

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slit Synonyms

Synonyms

incision, laceration, rent, rip, slash, gash, tear

Related Words

abrasion, score, scrape, scratch; injury, wound; crack, fracture, rupture, snag

slit

verb

Definition of slit

slit; slitting

transitive verb

1 a :to make a slit in

b :to cut off or away :sever

c :to form into a slit

2 :to cut into long narrow strips

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slitter

noun

See slit defined for English-language learners

See slit defined for kids

Examples of slit in a Sentence

I slit the bag open at the top.
The bag of seeds had been slit open.

Recent Examples of slit from the Web

His sister Zainabu and a friend had been found dead, stabbed and their throats slit, in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura.

— Bloomberg.com, "Burundi's Exiles Call World's Attention to Deadly Crisis," 26 July 2017
As a U.S. attorney, Sessions took over a case in which the Ku Klux Klan slit the throat of a young black man and hanged him from a tree.

— michael harriot, The Root, "2017 World Wypipo Tournament, Round 4: The Hateful 8," 26 July 2017
Officer Liss was worried that Mr. Musson was trying to slit her throat with the piece of broken glass.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "State's attorney: Round Lake cop used 'reasonable force' in fatal shooting last September," 21 July 2017
According to legend, an undergraduate woman slit her wrists in Pratt Hall one fateful night while wearing a red robe.

— grace haynes, Southern Living, "10 Haunted Places in the South," 11 July 2017
A Nestor resident opened the front door Friday morning to a bleeding stranger seeking help, saying his throat had been slit in an attack at Berry Park.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Man's throat cut in attack, seeks help at Nestor residence," 30 June 2017
An autopsy determined she had been beaten and strangled and that her throat had been slit.

— zak koeske, Daily Southtown, "Teen found slain in Markham garage tried to escape alleged pimp facing charges, complaint states," 21 June 2017
She was beaten, stabbed, and had slit her throat, court documents show.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Alabama Supreme Court denies appeals of two death row inmates," 16 June 2017
Last year, another driver struck Berlin in December, following a grueling summer in Germany with five separate attacks in July alone, while, that same month, a jihadist slit the throat of a French priest in a Normandy church.

— james poulos, Orange County Register, "Rethinking the ‘war on terrorism’," 27 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of slit

Middle English slitten; akin to Middle High German slitzen to slit, Old High German slīzan to tear apart, Old English sciell shell — more at shell

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year