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

Tinier processes allow for smaller transistors, meaning more circuitry can be squeezed onto a single sliver of chip to boost computing power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

As the title suggests, “Out of Time” is less about the living city than the dying one, with a sliver of hope carved out of the ash, rubble and pyroclastic surge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

That’s just a sliver of the $655 million total pot for the competing national teams, depending on performance.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

He said: "At this late stage in my life, I am grateful for any sliver of recognition that comes my way."

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

At Zafoona’s nod she speared a large sliver.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

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

Not one of the galleries has a skylight, although some have one or two slender slits atop the walls that admit weak slivers of borrowed light.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

It also sees its role of defending Thailand's territorial claims as a sacred one, even though this conflict is about tiny slivers of mostly unpopulated land.

From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025

The ants typically spend their days harvesting slivers of leaves, which they use to grow expansive fungal gardens that serve as both food and shelter.

From New York Times ● Dec. 22, 2023

Jacquel opened the Kelvinator’s door, put the plastic jars with their slivers of spleen, of kidney, of liver, of heart, inside.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

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