slice
Americannoun
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a thin, flat piece cut from something.
a slice of bread.
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a part, portion, or share.
a slice of land.
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any of various implements with a thin, broad blade or part, as for turning food in a frying pan, serving fish at the table, or taking up printing ink; spatula.
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Sports.
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the path described by a ball, as in baseball or golf, that curves in a direction corresponding to the side from which it was struck.
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a ball describing such a path.
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Tennis. a stroke executed by hitting down on the ball with an underhand motion and thus creating backspin.
verb (used with object)
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to cut into slices; divide into parts.
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to cut through or cleave with or as if with a knife.
The ship sliced the sea.
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to cut off or remove as a slice or slices (sometimes followed by off, away, from, etc.).
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to remove by means of a slice, slice bar, or similar implement.
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Sports. to hit (a ball) so as to result in a slice.
verb (used without object)
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to slice something.
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to admit of being sliced.
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Sports.
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(of a player) to slice the ball.
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(of a ball) to describe a slice in flight.
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noun
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a thin flat piece cut from something having bulk
a slice of pork
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a share or portion
a slice of the company's revenue
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any of various utensils having a broad flat blade and resembling a spatula
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the flight of a ball that travels obliquely because it has been struck off centre
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the action of hitting such a shot
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the shot so hit
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verb
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to divide or cut (something) into parts or slices
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to cut in a clean and effortless manner
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to move or go (through something) like a knife
the ship sliced through the water
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to cut or be cut (from) a larger piece
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(tr) to remove by use of a slicing implement
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to hit (a ball) with a slice
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(tr) rowing to put the blade of the oar into (the water) slantwise
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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slicernoun
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presliceverb (used with object)
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sliceableadjective
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unslicedadjective
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slicinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slicesimple
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slicessimple
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have slicedperfect
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has slicedperfect
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am slicingprogressive
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are slicingprogressive
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is slicingprogressive
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have been slicingperfect progressive
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has been slicingperfect progressive
Past
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slicedsimple
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had slicedperfect
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was slicingprogressive
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were slicingprogressive
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had been slicingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slice
1300–50; (noun) Middle English s ( c ) lice < Old French esclice, noun derivative of esclicer to split up < Frankish *slitjan, akin to Old English slītan, Old Norse slīta, Dutch slījten ( see slit); (v.) late Middle English sklicen < Old French esclicer
Explanation
A slice is a narrow piece or portion of something (particularly food), like a slice of bread or a slice of pizza. You can order a slice of cake or pie at your favorite bakery, or fry potatoes after cutting them into thin slices. Slice can also be used figuratively: "His brothers each own a slice of the business." The expression "slice of life" usually describes a realistic version of life that's depicted in a book, movie, or play. And in golfing, a slice is a stroke that makes the ball curve sharply to one side.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For a slice of the population, the coffee yogurt was the best part of their day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The gondola would slice through a section of L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
So, Ceuta is a small slice of Spanish territory that sits on a Mediterranean coastline that is otherwise part of Morocco.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
The “safe” bond slice of your target-date fund, the part meant to cushion the ride, is stuffed with U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
I think about Mom bringing me a slice of chocolate cake, Mom singing to me when I was sick, Mom giving me my first skateboard.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Instead of painting a broad picture that included all leading forms of content distribution — movie theaters, broadcast and cable television as well as streaming platforms — the states zeroed in on three distinct slices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Built from high-resolution images of thin slices of post-mortem brain tissue, the approach makes detailed, cell-level mapping affordable.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It’s time to put down the orange slices, stop singing “Country Roads” and send in the electric guitars with briefcases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
They diagrammed it for their BP sponsors as a big triangle beneath the rising line of future carbon emissions, what Socolow recalls describing as a “wedge,” cut up into equal-sized slices.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
I line up six slices of bread and toast them, two at a time in the toaster.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
Once underwater, they sliced through the ship’s steel using a torch with a self-consuming rod burning at thousands of degrees Fahrenheit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
In a large sauté pan, heat three tablespoons of olive oil and stir in three large garlic cloves, thinly sliced.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Sure, all things considered, I’d rather have a small bump sliced off my scalp than have my anal glands expressed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
One concern is the form of opener Amy Jones, who sliced a catch to short third to fall in the first over for the second match in succession.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
He spun it in his fingers and with a single sweep sliced the top two inches off his wineglass.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Poster boy Duncan Scott started the rush, defending his 200m individual medley gold from Birmingham four years ago by slicing a chunk off his own Games record.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Kagan insists that the Fourth Amendment cannot be defeated by slicing invasions of privacy into pieces small enough to appear constitutionally insignificant.
From Slate ● Jun. 29, 2026
With a smartphone strapped to her head, Indian housewife Nagireddy Sriramyachandra films herself slicing mangoes to train AI-powered robots to take on household jobs in the future.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
“It sounds like we’re just slicing the bottom of the pyramid off,” Mackenzie said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
The moonbeam was like a silver blade slicing through the room on to her face.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
