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

Yet a campaign official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive campaign planning, said the speech would also be an optimistic call to put country over party, part of Harris’ effort to win over a small sliver of conservatives who are wary of Trump’s Republican Party takeover. —Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024

Only a small sliver of Tampa Bay homes changed hands through August this year, according to Redfin. —Yacob Reyes, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024

Verb

McDonald’s has stopped sourcing onions from the supplier indefinitely, and around 900 locations will serve the Quarter Pounder sans slivered onions. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024

McDonald’s says the most likely source of the contamination was slivered onions served on its Quarter Pounders. —Christine Romans, NBC News, 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