sliver

1 of 2

noun

sliv·​er ˈsli-vər 

sense 2 is usually ˈslī-

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

sliver

2 of 2

verb

sliv·​er ˈsli-vər 

slivered; slivering ˈsli-və-riŋ 

ˈsliv-riŋ

transitive verb

: to cut into slivers : splinter

intransitive verb

: to become split into slivers

Synonyms of sliver

Noun

• chip
• fragment
• shard
• splinter

Verb

• slice

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

The documents just made public were a sliver of potentially millions of pages records in the department’s possession. —Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 20 Dec. 2025

Any sliver of hope England had — gone. —Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

Verb

Walnuts or slivered almonds would be great here as well. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Nov. 2025

More mint chocolate is joined by toasted coconut, praline, slivered almonds, gingersnaps, and continued rye spice. —David Thomas Tao, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1608, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for sliver

• giver
• liver
• livre
• quiver
• river
• shiver
• caregiver
• deliver
• downriver
• lawgiver
• upriver

Kids Definition

sliver

1 of 2 noun

sliv·​er ˈsliv-ər 

1

: a long slender piece cut or torn off : splinter

2

: a small and narrow portion

a sliver of pie

sliver

2 of 2 verb

slivered; slivering

ˈsliv-(ə-)riŋ

: to cut or form into slivers : splinter