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

Noun

• chip
• flake
• spall
• splint
• splinter

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

Every wall is either mirrored or painted in an eye-popping shade of shiny, egg-yolk yellow, accented with glossy mahogany, hot red cabinets, and slivers of gold. —Liam Hess, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2024

But Moscow still casts a long shadow in the country, most visibly in Transnistria, a sliver of territory which illegally split from Moldova during a brief war in the 1990s. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024

Verb

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that fresh, slivered onions are the likely source of an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's restaurants across multiple U.S. states, based on epidemiologic and traceback data. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Kempczinski confirmed that slivered onions from the Taylor Farms Colorado Springs facility were likely the cause of the contamination. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 29 Oct. 2024

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

1605, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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