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
- slitless adjective
- slitlike adjective
- slitter noun
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; slice
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.
However, when observed, they acted like particles passing through one slit or the other.
From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025
From the kick-off, Wright slit England open down the middle with a swerving run, and the scrambling hosts gave away a soft penalty as they tried to stem the attack.
From BBC • Nov. 9, 2024
I’ve got to be able to step in the dress,’” says Preston, adding that she asked for a modular slit in the dress for scenes when she needed to run or walk.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2024
Female cicadas make long slits in twigs, laying 20 eggs in each slit, up to 600 eggs in total.
From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2024
While I lie there, sobbing, tears trying to squeeze out of the slit of my eye, I hear Peeta whisper to Haymitch about President Snow, about the uprising in District 8.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
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.
