sliver

American  

[sliv-er] / ˈslɪv ər /

noun

• slivers
  plural

1. a small, slender, often sharp piece, as of wood or glass, split, broken, or cut off, usually lengthwise or with the grain; splinter.

2. any small, narrow piece or portion.

   A sliver of sky was visible.

3. a strand of loose, untwisted fibers produced in carding.

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verb (used with object)

1. to split or cut off (a sliver) or to split or cut into slivers.

   to sliver a log into kindling.

2. to form (textile fibers) into slivers.

verb (used without object)

1. to split.

sliver British  

/ ˈslɪvə /

noun

1. a thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise; splinter

2. a loose strand or fibre obtained by carding

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verb

1. to divide or be divided into splinters; split

2. (tr) to form (wool, etc) into slivers

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sliver-like
  adjective
• sliverlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• slivers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sliver

1325–75; Middle English slivere (noun), derivative of sliven to split, Old English -slīfan (in tōslīfan to split up

Explanation

A very thin slice or bit of something is a sliver. A sliver of hope is better than a sliver of doubt, but having a sliver of wood in your foot is the worst. That’s called a splinter, and it hurts! You'll want to watch out for slivers of glass if you break a drinking glass in the sink, and machinists have to wear special protective goggles to guard against flying slivers of metal. If you just want a bite of dessert, you can ask for just a sliver of cheesecake. Sliver is also a verb, meaning "splinter," or "cut into thin pieces." It comes from a verb that's now obsolete, sliven, "to split."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sliver slivers

One and one might secure a sliver of hope.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Three weeks is only a sliver of the NFL season; a backsliding team has plenty of time to correct its course.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

“We understand trading cards represents a small sliver of the business” for Target, “likely in the 1% to 2% range of total revenue,” the Mizuho analysts, led by David Bellinger, said in their note.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

A big TAM tells investors that capturing even a sliver of the market could mean a great business.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

“Uh, yeah, your girl raised the bar about a trillion degrees,” I say, stealing a sliver of cheddar from his tray.

From "Watch Us Rise" by Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan

I was skeptical when I first came across a recipe for dates generously filled with slivers of butter, finished off with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Mr Mohammed says that his father and grandfather had dug through these plots for decades but discovered nothing more that "dust and slivers of quartz".

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

Here Mr. Stoppard managed to impart a few slivers of his deep knowledge of literary history while exploring the universal theme of a love that cannot find expression or recompense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025

It’s about 6 inches wide and shot through with slivers of chocolate that vary in size.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024

“I will use my own needles, thank you very much. Good honest bone. None of your nasty jagged iron things, stabbing you like little slivers of hate.”

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• flake
• fragment
• shaving
• shred
• slice
• snippet