sliver

noun

sliv·er | \ ˈsli-vər

, sense 2 is usually ˈslī-\

Definition of sliver

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

sliver

verb

sliv·er | \ ˈsli-vər

slivered; slivering\ ˈsli-və-riŋ

, ˈsliv-riŋ \

Definition of sliver (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to cut into slivers : splinter

intransitive verb

: to become split into slivers

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about sliver

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Synonyms for sliver

Synonyms: Noun

chip, flake, spall, splint, splinter

Synonyms: Verb

slice, splinter

Examples of sliver in a Sentence

Noun

I got a sliver of wood stuck in my finger.

Verb

carefully slivered the rattan stems into strips for basketry

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Afterward, a sliver of in-the-know attendees headed to an adjacent luxury high-rise, inside 15 Hudson Yards, for an inevitable after-party. — Zachary Weiss, Vogue, "13,000 Guests Attended the Opening of Hudson Yards—Anne Hathaway and Gisele Included," 15 Mar. 2019 Maybe McEnhill is right and sharing that sliver will invest the public in keeping it clean. — Chris Colin, Outside Online, "Drawing a Line in the Sand Over River Rights," 30 May 2018 Modern humans have been around for just 100,000 years, a thin sliver of time within the vast and spotty fossil record. — NBC News, "Did another advanced species exist on Earth before humans?," 30 Apr. 2018 There simply wasn’t room for the camera within the sliver of structure above the screen. — Melissa Riofrio, PCWorld, "Finally! The new Dell XPS 13 puts the camera in the right place," 8 Jan. 2019 There’s a whiff of wifi, but no guarantee, and only a sliver of cell service. — Elizabeth Wellington, Vogue, "This French Island Is the Nantucket of the Mediterranean," 16 Aug. 2018 Storm after storm has left Dania Beach with just a sliver of beach and a dilemma that has plagued South Florida for decades. — Susannah Bryan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Shrinking beaches pose a dilemma in South Florida," 8 June 2018 One, because no one cares that much about Congressional districts, and two, because my old district was almost entirely in Philadelphia, with a sliver in Delco. — Mike Newall, Philly.com, "I finally opened those political mailers on my door step - and learned I am voting in one of the most interesting races | Mike Newall," 11 May 2018 The Times gives us a sliver of a window that, at best, may be accurate but is incomplete. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "The Scapegoating of Facebook," 20 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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, "10 Easy and Fun Nail Designs to Copy This Summer," 7 May 2019 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

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.