sliver

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

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

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

Legal motions, fundraisers and letters to politicians gave Francis Ladege's family and friends a sliver of hope that the South Sudan refugee could stay in America after he had been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Atherton High School graduate, a refugee from South Sudan, has been deported by ICE," 12 Apr. 2018
Krasinski and Emily Blunt play a couple struggling to defend their family while also seeking some sliver of normalcy on their remote farm.

— mark olsen, latimes.com, "How John Krasinski's newfound love for horror led to defying expectations with 'A Quiet Place'," 8 Apr. 2018
Within that group is a sliver of super-selective colleges that accept fewer than 20 percent of applicants, and in some cases fewer than 10 percent.

— jeffrey j. selingo, Washington Post, "The higher education divide: The ‘haves’ keep getting richer. Other schools? Not so much.," 6 Apr. 2018
Photo: Punit Paranjpe/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Those issues have emerged in a country that represents a sliver of the global bitcoin market: Rupee transactions account for just 0.02% of the currency’s trading, according to CryptoCompare.

— gregor stuart hunter, WSJ, "Regulators World-Wide Are Cracking Down on Cryptocurrencies. India’s Next.," 6 Apr. 2018
Then, at the Grammys, Katie Holmes (who is 39) had a few silver slivers peeking through parts of her dark hair.

— lauren levinson, Glamour, "Seeing Women in Their 30s With Gray Roots Inspired Me to Leave Mine Alone," 2 Apr. 2018
Where the notch frees up a sliver of space at the top — by absorbing notification and status icons — at the bottom of the phone, OnePlus’ gesture interactions help to remove the persistent Android software keys and thus liberate even more space.

— vlad savov, The Verge, "The OnePlus 6 will have a notch, and here’s why," 28 Mar. 2018
Other hurdles Added to the difficulty with the bridge is the potential difficulty of getting slivers of land at the east end of the bridge for the trail.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bike trail connecting Mississippi River to Lake Michigan faces big obstacles in West Allis, including costly Highway 100 bridge," 23 Mar. 2018
There’s a plan to form New California, which includes everything but a sliver of wealthy, urban coastal counties.

— hailey branson-potts, latimes.com, "In California's rural, conservative north, there are big dreams for cleaving the state," 17 Mar. 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

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
Serves about 8 4½ pound pork loin 1 tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary 3 cloves garlic, slivered2 teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 2 cups dry white wine or vermouth Heat oven to 350 degrees.

— a home plates reader, The Mercury News, "Recipe: Roast Rosemary Garlic Pork," 25 Jan. 2017
INGREDIENTS: 3 tsp olive oil 1/3 cup pine nuts (pignoli) 1 lb penne pasta 3 large cloves garlic, slivered1 1/4 lb red Swiss chard (or a mix of white-, yellow- and red-stemmed chards), stems cut in 1-in.

— elle decor staff, ELLE Decor, "Penne with Chard & Pine Nuts," 27 Sep. 2007