sliver

noun sliv·er \ ˈsli-vər , sense 2 is usually ˈslī- \

|Updated on: 6 Aug 2018

Examples: sliver in a Sentence

Definition of sliver

1 a : a long slender piece cut or torn off : splinter

b : a small and narrow portion

a sliver of land

c : particle, scrap

not a sliver of evidence

2 : an untwisted strand or rope of textile fiber produced by a carding or combing machine and ready for drawing, roving, or spinning

See sliver defined for English-language learners

See sliver defined for kids

Examples of sliver in a Sentence

I got a sliver of wood stuck in my finger.

Recent Examples of sliver from the Web

At issue seems to be a sliver of land adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium and Smale Riverfront Park known as Lot 27.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Bengals suggest location for Banks music venue. Luken says leaders ignored 'the elephant in the room'," 7 June 2018
Because American fashion is only a small sliver of the global industry, the same names often come to the top of the pile in every category.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "Of Course Supreme Won the Highest Honor for American Menswear," 5 June 2018
At the top is a sliver of sky and a distant glimpse of Coney Island’s tallest ride, the Wonder Wheel.

— ben yagoda, WSJ, "‘Flash’ Review: New York After Dark," 1 June 2018
There is a sliver along the southwestern edge of Arizona where that probability falls to 60 percent.

— weldon b. johnson, azcentral, "Arizona is in a 50-year drought. Here's what that means.," 5 May 2018
With the Lamb triumph—a squeaker, to be sure—there is a sliver of light, a breath of hope.

— lynn yaeger, Vogue, "After a Long Night, Conor Lamb Declares Victory in the Pennsylvania Special Election," 14 Mar. 2018
However, there is a sliver of hope that America may be getting a bit closer to an inevitable gun reckoning.

— phillip morris, cleveland.com, "America's gun reckoning continues six years after the Chardon High School attack: Phillip Morris," 28 Feb. 2018
There are slivers of manufacturing success, such as laser production, but the country has not yet found its own industrial niche.

— The Economist, "CharlemagneLithuania hopes the next century is quieter than the last," 15 Feb. 2018
The partial solar eclipse will be visible in Antarctica and a sliver of southern South America, experts say.

— melissa chan, Time, "Another Eclipse Is Coming This Week. Here's What to Know About the Partial Solar Eclipse," 12 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of sliver

Middle English slivere, from sliven to slice off, from Old English -slīfan; akin to Old English -slǣfan to cut

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

sliver Synonyms

Synonyms

chip, flake, splint, splinter;

Near Antonyms

chunk, hunk, lump, slab;

flinders, shiver, smithereens;

shred, tatter;

clipping, paring, shave, shaving, snippet;

leaf, sheet, slice;

sliver

verb sliv·er \ ˈsli-vər \

Definition of sliver

slivered; slivering play \ˈsli-və-riŋ, ˈsliv-riŋ\

transitive verb

: to cut into slivers : splinter

intransitive verb

: to become split into slivers

See sliver defined for English-language learners

Examples of sliver in a Sentence

carefully slivered the rattan stems into strips for basketry

Recent Examples of sliver from the Web

To get this striped look, place two horizontal strips of tape over your nail, leaving just a slivered gap between them, then paint the gap with a pale shade.

— chloe metzger, Marie Claire, "7 Ridiculously Cool Nail Designs to Copy this Summer," 5 June 2018
The protein pancakes mix traditional batter with blueberries, granola, slivered almonds and cinnamon.

— andy staples, SI.com, "How 'Scheduling for Success' Can Help the Pac-12 Keep Pace in the Playoff Era," 7 May 2018
If New Orleans is an aging beauty queen drunk on the fumes of her glorious past, Plaquemines Parish, to the southeast, is plain old sloshed — not to mention saturated, striated, slivered and surrounded by water.

— jennifer moses, New York Times, "At the Mouth of the Mississippi, a Weird and Fragile Beauty," 21 Feb. 2018
But they were born this way, with the translucent noodles designed to spring and coil, trapping spice and chile paste and slivered vegetables.

— mike sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "Review: Korean cafe serving up real Seoul food at Seoul Asian Market & Cafe," 14 Dec. 2017
Sliced or slivered almonds, pine nuts and skinned hazelnuts should be a nice golden or honey color.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Toasting nuts intensifies their flavor," 26 Sep. 2017
So walnut halves will take longer than slivered or sliced almonds.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Toasting nuts intensifies their flavor," 26 Sep. 2017
Nutrition | Per serving (with 1/2 cup slivered almonds): 110 calories, 4 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 8 g sugar Never miss a local story.

— ellie krieger, charlotteobserver, "Pops for breakfast? These are nutritionist-approved," 8 Aug. 2017
Translucent wafers of Korean fluke are wrapped in kelp to cure; sayori (needlefish) is slivered and marinated in soy; and tender lobes of rich uni are glazed with miso.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017

First Known Use of sliver

1605

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sliver Synonyms

Synonyms

slice, splinter;

saw, scissor;

cleave, rive, split;

gash, incise, rip, slash, slit;

SLIVER Defined for English Language Learners

sliver

noun

Definition of sliver for English Language Learners

: a small, thin piece that has been cut, torn, or broken from something larger

sliver

verb

Definition of sliver for English Language Learners

: to cut or break (something) into small, thin pieces

SLIVER Defined for Kids

sliver

noun sliv·er \ ˈsli-vər \

Definition of sliver for Students

1 : a long slender piece of something cut or torn off : splinter I have a sliver of wood in my finger.

2 : a small amount

a sliver of moon

a sliver of doubt

sliver

verb

Definition of sliver for Students

slivered; slivering

: to cut or form into long slender pieces

Learn More about sliver

See words that rhyme with sliver Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sliver Spanish Central: Translation of sliver Nglish: Translation of sliver for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sliver

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sliver

Definition of sliver

Examples of sliver in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sliver from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sliver

sliver Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

sliver

Definition of sliver

Examples of sliver in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sliver from the Web

First Known Use of sliver

sliver Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

SLIVER Defined for English Language Learners

sliver

Definition of sliver for English Language Learners

sliver

Definition of sliver for English Language Learners

SLIVER Defined for Kids

sliver

Definition of sliver for Students

sliver

Definition of sliver for Students

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