splice
Americanverb (used with object)
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splices,
present (3rd person singular)
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spliced,
past participle, past
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splicing
present participle
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to join together or unite (two ropes or parts of a rope) by the interweaving of strands.
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to unite (timbers, spars, or the like) by overlapping and binding their ends.
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to unite (film, magnetic tape, or the like) by butting and cementing.
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to join or unite.
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Genetics. to join (segments of DNA or RNA) together.
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Informal. to unite in marriage.
They'll be spliced in June.
noun
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splices
plural
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a joining of two ropes or parts of a rope by splicing.
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the union or junction made by splicing.
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a joining or junction of two pieces of timber, spar, etc., by overlapping and fastening the ends.
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a joining of film, electromagnetic tape, or the like.
idioms
verb
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to join (two ropes) by intertwining the strands
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to join up the trimmed ends of (two pieces of wire, film, magnetic tape, etc) with solder or an adhesive material
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to join (timbers) by overlapping and binding or bolting the ends together
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informal (passive) to enter into marriage
the couple got spliced last Saturday
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nautical history to issue and partake of an extra allocation of alcoholic spirits
noun
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a join made by splicing
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the place where such a join occurs
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the wedge-shaped end of a cricket-bat handle or similar instrument that fits into the blade
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To join together genes or gene fragments or insert them into a cell or other structure, such as a virus, by means of enzymes. In genetic engineering, scientists splice together genetic material to produce new genes or to alter a genetic structure. In messenger RNA, the introns are removed, and exons are spliced together to yield the final messenger RNA that is translated.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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splicernoun
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respliceverb (used with object)
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underspliceverb (used with object)
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spliceableadjective
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unsplicedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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splicesimple
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splicessimple
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have splicedperfect
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has splicedperfect
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am splicingprogressive
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are splicingprogressive
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is splicingprogressive
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have been splicingperfect progressive
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has been splicingperfect progressive
Past
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splicedsimple
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had splicedperfect
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was splicingprogressive
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were splicingprogressive
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had been splicingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of splice
1515–25; < earlier Dutch splissen (now splitsen )
Explanation
As noun and verb, splice refers to the overlapping or interweaving of two ends of something to create the strongest possible attachment. The earliest records of the word splice are from the early 16th century, when it was borrowed from the Middle Dutch verb splissen, used by sailors for joining ropes end to end by interweaving their strands. In 1912, the infant motion-picture industry took over the word splice to refer to the cutting and joining of film in the editing process. In 1975, scientists found they could alter genes by cutting and adding chunks of DNA, creating the science of gene splicing.
Vocabulary lists containing splice
All the Pretty Horses
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The Martian
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Stories of Ourselves
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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.
See Examples For:
Shortly after the launch, Altman encouraged users to find different ways to splice him into famous or iconic scenes from popular culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
When a gene is copied into a raw RNA transcript, it usually can be processed in different ways to form distinct splice variants or isoforms; thus, a single gene may produce several different proteins.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2024
At the other end, Rushworth tests Holder with a short ball, which he pulls off the splice for no run.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2024
Rather than stingily splice the historical sources, as the Carralero court did, those judges drew upon the historical principles that justified locational restrictions.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2024
The immediate task at hand was to carefully review, cut, and splice selections from the four hundred thousand feet of raw film she had shot at the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Daniel Mason splices together different narrative strands to create a single story connecting its successive inhabitants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Another early highlight, Reliquia, chops and splices a chamber quartet into unrecognisable electronic patterns, as Rosalía reconciles herself to the idea that she loves too hard, and locates the beauty in that vulnerability.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
The active splicing factor splices out the inhibitory exon in the transcription factor, which turns on the genes that produce collagen.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2024
Guadagnino splices in his smug smile so much that we get sick of it, and maybe that’s the idea: Patrick’s charm is losing its appeal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
Next we listen to each snippet and choose our favorites, which Nico splices together.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
ESRP2 binds to RNA and helps ensure that it is spliced correctly.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
The video is a compilation of clips of charismatic Christian prophet Kim Clement, spliced together from 2007 appearances in California and Arizona.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
The product wasn’t profitable, and every user who spliced themselves into a World War II newsreel or Hollywood chase scene drew down a finite resource.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Carr said he wanted to determine if the BBC provided either the video or audio of the spliced speech to any broadcaster "regulated by the FCC for airing in the US".
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2025
It’s as if the others took samples of her story and spliced them together.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
After treatment, ESRP2 levels recovered, and RNA splicing became more normal.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026
Some are using genetic testing and exploring gene splicing to produce children with desired traits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
He said the error did not amount to "innocent splicing".
From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025
What her character sees, where she chooses to stand and look, makes up much of the film, although the editing team does phenomenal work splicing in other characters’ points of view.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2025
Reich was fascinated by the creative possibilities of splicing up tape recordings and putting them back together again in collage or repetitive sequence, inspiring, among others, The Beatles to do likewise.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
