slice

[slahys]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR slice ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a thin, flat piece cut from something: a slice of bread.

a part, portion, or share: a slice of land.

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.

Sports.

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.
a ball describing such a path.

Tennis. a stroke executed by hitting down on the ball with an underhand motion and thus creating backspin.

verb (used with object), sliced, slic·ing.

to cut into slices; divide into parts.

to cut through or cleave with or as if with a knife: The ship sliced the sea.

to cut off or remove as a slice or slices (sometimes followed by off, away, from, etc.).

to remove by means of a slice, slice bar, or similar implement.

Sports. to hit (a ball) so as to result in a slice.

verb (used without object), sliced, slic·ing.

to slice something.

to admit of being sliced.

Sports.

(of a player) to slice the ball.
(of a ball) to describe a slice in flight.

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

Related formsslice·a·ble, adjectiveslic·ing·ly, adverbpre·slice, verb (used with object), pre·sliced, pre·slic·ing.un·sliced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for slice

chop, wedge, portion, sliver, shave, cleave, divide, hack, slit, shred, split, slash, strip, carve, sever, cut, bite, quota, helping, part

Examples from the Web for slice

Contemporary Examples of slice

Finding the shop is a trip in itself and an introduction to a slice of history.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech
Liza Foreman
January 6, 2015
The robots can slice through stone and rough out vast blocks of stone while the artisans are sleeping.
Damien Hirst’s Army of Geppettos
Tim Teeman
December 2, 2014
“There were moments when I was just really tempted to have a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger,” he says.
Nick Jonas Is All Grown Up, Clutching His Penis and Everything
Kevin Fallon
October 8, 2014
The Good Lie should have been a slice of history, the likes of which never to be repeated.
‘The Good Lie’ and the Hard Truths of South Sudan
John Prendergast
October 3, 2014
If you drink a diet soda, are you more likely to give yourself permission to have a slice of cake later?
Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet?
DailyBurn
September 30, 2014

Historical Examples of slice

Come, man, you must be as hungry as a hawk—a slice of the beef?
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
In carving a round of beef, slice it horizontally and very thin.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
When they are quite tender all through, take them out, and drain and slice them.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Peel, slice them, and fry them brown in butter or nice dripping.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Quarter the cabbage lengthways, and then slice it crossways.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for slice

slice

noun

a thin flat piece cut from something having bulka slice of pork

a share or portiona slice of the company's revenue

any of various utensils having a broad flat blade and resembling a spatula

(in golf, tennis, etc)

the flight of a ball that travels obliquely because it has been struck off centre
the action of hitting such a shot
the shot so hit

verb

to divide or cut (something) into parts or slices

(when intr, usually foll by through) to cut in a clean and effortless manner

(when intr, foll by through) to move or go (through something) like a knifethe ship sliced through the water

(usually foll by off, from, away, etc) to cut or be cut (from) a larger piece

(tr) to remove by use of a slicing implement

to hit (a ball) with a slice

(tr) rowing to put the blade of the oar into (the water) slantwise

Derived Formssliceable, adjectiveslicer, noun

Word Origin for slice

C14: from Old French esclice a piece split off, from esclicier to splinter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for slice

c.1300, "a fragment," from Old French escliz "splinter, fragment" (Modern French éclisse), a back-formation from esclicier "to splinter, shatter, smash," from Frankish *slitan "to split" or some other Germanic source (cf. Old High German slihhan; see slit (v.)). Meaning "piece cut from something" emerged early 15c. Meaning "a slicing stroke" (in golf, tennis) is recorded from 1886. Slice of life (1895) translates French tranche de la vie, a term from French Naturalist literature.

late 15c., from Middle French esclicier, from Old French escliz (see slice (n.)). Golfing sense is from 1890. Related: Sliced; slicing. Sliced bread introduced 1958; greatest thing since ... first attested 1969.

No matter how thick or how thin you slice it it's still baloney. [Carl Sandburg, "The People, Yes," 1936]

Idioms and Phrases with slice

slice

In addition to the subsequent idiom beginning with slice

slice of the pie

also see:

greatest thing since sliced bread
no matter how you slice it