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:
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
But he said if he was handed a slice of local income tax, he would "create a new rebate scheme to put money back into people's pockets".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In that circumstance, whether she makes her husband’s children whole — if you agree that his children should have a slice of the pie — would depend on her largesse.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
She teaches Max to sing the song while I slice the bread and boil the eggs.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Instead, it’s a double-decker sandwich with two deli meats, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Russian dressing, all layered intricately between slices of thin rye bread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The transformation is visible everywhere: from supermarket shelves stocked with ultra-processed foods to pizzerias selling slices piled high with chips, sausages and fried snacks.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
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
Earlier experiments often required cutting the retina into slices to reach them, a process that could disrupt the natural circuitry researchers wanted to examine.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Then for dessert the women brought us generously cut slices of pearly white cake.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
“Her hands kept very busy. They sliced the air and made karate chops to mark off boundaries.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It arrives conveniently sliced, so you can pull out exactly what you need for your guests — and save the rest for the next party.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 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
Earlier openers Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Amy Jones, who made 16 and nine respectively, had sliced catches to the ring off spinner Amy Maguire and Alice Capsey bowled by an Orla Prendergast yorker for five.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
It sliced through the air and hit a young tree hard enough to make the branches shake.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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
In the classroom, trainees crowded around instructor Luo Duocheng as he demonstrated slicing a slab of beef, marinating it, and skewering the meat to form identical kebabs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 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
Get the party started by slicing boneless chicken thighs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Celia pulls it from the pile, slicing it open with a silver letter opener, ready to throw it on the pile with the rest.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
