slit
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut apart or open along a line; make a long cut, fissure, or opening in.
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to cut or rend into strips; split.
noun
verb
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to make a straight long incision in; split open
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to cut into strips lengthwise
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to sever
noun
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a long narrow cut
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a long narrow opening
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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slitsimple
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slitssimple
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have slitperfect
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has slitperfect
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am slittingprogressive
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are slittingprogressive
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is slittingprogressive
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have been slittingperfect progressive
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has been slittingperfect progressive
Past
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slitsimple
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had slitperfect
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was slittingprogressive
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were slittingprogressive
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had been slittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slit
1175–1225; Middle English slitte (noun), slitten (v.); cognate with German schlitzen to split, slit; akin to Old English slite a slit, geslit a bite, slītan to split; see slice
Explanation
A very narrow slot or cut in something is a slit. You might fill your pita bread with falafel by first making a slit in its side. A long strip of sunlight might shine through a slit in your curtains and wake you up in the morning. Or you may narrow your eyes to slits in anger when you see the mess your sister made in your room. You can also use this word as a verb, to mean "cut into," like when you slit a croissant and insert jam, or slit an envelope with an old-fashioned letter opener.
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.
And singer Rose, a multiple Grammy nominee this year for "APT," her banger collab with Bruno Mars, wore a chic strapless black dress with a high slit and an outsized bird brooch at her waist.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
Knowing approximately when to head home for the day could be guessed by examining nature—even by looking at a sheep’s pupils, which go from a rectangular slit to a wide orb as the light fades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
Her only contact with other humans is a slit through which she can hear daily mass, save for Marte, the low-ranking Beguine assigned to deliver her meals and empty her slop bucket.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
Doctors did not expect Roy Daines to live past childhood after being born with a heart problem and a slit in his left lung.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2025
Mrs. Diamant slit a knife down one end of the first envelope.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
