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

A lot of people were holding out a sliver of hope that Trump One wouldn’t be the road map for Trump Two. —Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025

In the greater Bay Area, insurers who opt into the plan will be required to write more policies in Marin, Napa, and Santa Cruz counties, as well as parts of San Mateo and Sonoma counties and a sliver of Santa Clara County. —Ethan Varian, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2025

Verb

That left the fresh, slivered onions as the likely source. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 6 Dec. 2024

Preliminary data implicates slivered onions used on Quarter Pounders as a possible source, and recent testing rules out beef patties, according to the company. —Mark Kortepeter, Forbes, 28 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