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

For a sliver of Northern New Jersey, this is the canonical sloppy joe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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

I sit in the dark, a sliver of light from the hallway slashed across my bed.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Thin slivers of pig’s ears came with long-cooked pork belly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025

Screwing them into place produced razor-sharp slivers of metal, which in some cases accumulated beneath the deck in areas containing large amounts of aircraft wiring.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025

The Chicken Katli has thin slivers of chicken and on top is truffle.

From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2024

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

Rescue workers in the air that day initially wondered if the lake had disappeared, until they saw slivers of lake peeking through.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Related Words

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