splice

play

verb \ ˈsplīs \

Definition of splice

spliced; splicing

transitive verb

1 a :to unite (two ropes or two parts of a rope) by interweaving the strands

b :to unite (two lengths of magnetic tape, photographic film, etc.) by overlapping and securing together two ends

2 :to unite, link, or insert as if by splicing

3 :to combine or insert (something) by genetic engineering

spliced a human gene for insulin into a bacterium

—

splicer

noun

See splice defined for English-language learners

See splice defined for kids

Recent Examples of splice from the Web

That narcotic, increasingly spliced into the nation's illicit drug supply, is fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller exacerbating heroin's deadly trap.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Thousands of urban overdose deaths linked to shocking increase of fentanyl in drug supply," 16 Aug. 2017
The editor tasked with splicing the video together had plenty of material from which to choose.

— andrew greif, OregonLive.com, "Willie Taggart mining Oregon's 2016 misery for motivation this fall: Ducks rundown," 1 Aug. 2017
Jain: Turning her globe-trotting upbringing into a one-of-a-kind sound, Jain splices together French electronic music, Congolese rhythms and Arabic percussion.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Don't miss these eight emerging acts at Lollapalooza in Chicago," 28 July 2017
Released yesterday as part of the film's soundtrack, the minimalist video that is spliced with scenes from the film shows the 24-year-old reaching deep into her bag of modeling tricks with the help of several hair transformations.

— Vogue, "Cara Delevingne's First Music Video Proves She Is the Ultimate Hair Chameleon," 28 July 2017
The video in question supposedly splices together Snapchat clips of Bella with an unidentified person masturbating.

— de elizabeth, Allure, "Bella Thorne Responds to Fake Masturbation Video," 21 July 2017
The video in question supposedly splices together Snapchat clips of Bella with an unidentified person masturbating.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Bella Thorne Responds to Fake Masturbation Video," 21 July 2017
From a sample-splicing jam touching on Lamar and The White Stripes, to the album's title track, BJ let the band take charge.

— milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 8: Wisconsin acts and festival veterans pack punches," 7 July 2017
This imperial bodice-front piece features tiers of 2,000 Akoya pearls, inter-spliced with aquamarines, moonstones, and diamond slivers.

— Vogue, "A First Look at Boucheron’s Flacon de Neige Necklace, and Other Gems From Its New High Jewelry Collection," 3 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of splice

obsolete Dutch splissen; akin to Middle Dutch splitten to split

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1525

See Words from the same year

splice

noun

Definition of splice

1 :a joining or joint made by splicing something

2 :marriage, wedding

See splice defined for English-language learners

Illustration of splice

First Known Use of splice

1627

SPLICE Defined for English Language Learners

splice

play

verb

Definition of splice for English Language Learners

: to join ropes, wires, etc., by weaving or twisting them together
: to join (pieces of film, magnetic tape, etc.) by connecting their ends together

splice

noun

Definition of splice for English Language Learners

: the place where two things (such as two pieces of rope or film) have been joined by being spliced together

SPLICE Defined for Kids

splice

play

verb \ ˈsplīs \

Definition of splice for Students

spliced; splicing

1 :to unite (as two ropes) by weaving together

2 :to unite (as rails or pieces of film) by connecting the ends together

splice

noun

Definition of splice for Students

:the process of joining or a joint made by weaving or connecting the ends together

Medical Dictionary

splice

play

transitive verb \ ˈsplīs \

medical Definition of splice

spliced; splicing

:to join together or insert (as segments of RNA or DNA) to form new genetic combinations

spliced a human gene for insulin into a bacterium

— see gene-splicing

Learn More about splice

See words that rhyme with splice Spanish Central: Translation of splice Nglish: Translation of splice for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about splice

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splicer

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splice

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SPLICE Defined for English Language Learners

splice

Definition of splice for English Language Learners

splice

Definition of splice for English Language Learners

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splice

Definition of splice for Students

splice

Definition of splice for Students

Medical Dictionary

splice

medical Definition of splice

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