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

In the cartoonist Barry Blitt’s portrayal of the upcoming Inauguration Day, the new President is sidelined into a dash of yellow hair and a sliver of red tie. —Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025

Where American Primeval has at least allowed a sliver of ambiguity when portraying whether or not Young was complicit in the massacre’s cover-up until now, there’s none of that here. —Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025

Verb

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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed last month that slivered onions served on McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers were the probable source of an E. coli outbreak that prompted the fast-food restaurant chain to stop selling the menu item temporarily. —Erica Lamberg, Fox News, 3 Dec. 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