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to silver

to silver

3 5.6
To cover something with a thin layer of the shiny white metal
  • verb
  • /ˈsɪlvər/
translation icon : bañar en plata
  • Mill looks the same, all tumbled in on itself and silvered by the moonlight.
  • silvered glass
  • silvered hair
  • silvered by moonlight

Examples

  • The dark, still sleeping garden beneath her window was silvered with moonlight.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Only the moon cast light, a cool, silvered sheen that shimmered on the grass.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • See, this in the movie is silver, and I'm thinking maybe I'll silver plate it.

  • And again, it's been silvered and then painted.

  • A breath of light from the fading moon silvered the edges of the shutters.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • A full moon silvered the oaks, the wheat-stubbled field, the tenant house where I glimpsed a shape.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I eased myself down on the first porch step and blinked at the silvered grass, the meadow, and the trees beyond.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The artist decided to silver the edges of the frame to give it a more elegant look.

  • They chose to silver the surface of the sculpture to enhance its reflective quality.

  • The jeweler helped her silver the pendant to make it more appealing for sale.

Synonyms

to silver-plate
vsto silver
1 6.3

To cover something with a thin layer of silver

has identical meaning but is written with a hyphen
to silverplate
vsto silver
  • Specialized
7.4

To put a thin layer of silver on an object

has identical meaning but is written as one word

Idioms

5 5.1

To get something very easily without having to work for it

To give someone money to get a favor, often as a bribe

Give up valuable family items to solve money problems

Compounds

silver lining
  • Informal
43 3.5

A good thing that comes from a bad situation

15 1.1

A metal object, usually silver, given to the person who comes second in a competition

Silver Star
  • Formal
13 5.9

A medal that the United States military gives for brave actions in battle

10 3.8

The world of movies and the people who make them

silver dollar
  • Archaic
9 3.7

A coin worth one dollar made of silver often kept by collectors

sterling silver
  • Specialized
7 3.6

A metal made from silver mixed with other metals for jewelry and tableware

silver bullet
  • Informal
6 5.3

A simple answer that seems to fix a very hard problem quickly

silver spoon
  • Informal
5 3.6

A life starting in a rich family with many advantages

silver tongue
  • Informal
3 7.4

A skill at speaking in a way that convinces people

3 3.4

A place where people dig to take silver from the ground

Able to speak in a way that charms and persuades people

silver nitrate
  • Specialized
2 5.3

A white chemical used in photography and to stop wound infection

silver iodide
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A yellow chemical used in taking photos and to help make rain fall from clouds

1 8.7

U.S. paper money that people could exchange for silver

1 2.3

A shiny light grey color like the metal used for coins and jewelry

1 3.0

A grey color that looks shiny like silver

family silver
  • Informal
1 6.9

Valuable things a family keeps and gives to later generations

A plant with flat round silver seed pods used in decoration

1 5.1

A North American tree that grows fast and has light green leaves white underneath

1 5.1

A celebration of 25 years since an important event like a marriage or founding

1 3.1

Items like forks and spoons that are made of another metal with a thin silver layer for use at meals

1 5.7

An American military medal given for brave actions in battle

A celebration for a couple on their 25th year of marriage

1 3.4

A light shiny blue color like the paint on a car

1 4.2

A light green color with a shiny silvery look

coin silver
  • Archaic
7.0

A type of silver that is about 90 percent pure and used to make coins

A tall evergreen tree from central and southern Europe with smooth grey bark and wood used for building

mild silver protein
  • Specialized
7.9

A medicine made from silver and protein that kills germs on skin or in the eye

German silver
  • Specialized
7.7

A silvery metal mix of copper, zinc, and nickel that contains no silver

nickel silver
  • Specialized
7.4

A metal made from copper, nickel, and zinc that looks like silver and is used for knives and forks

A medium or tall fir tree from western North America with a cone shape and orange-smelling leaves when crushed

A medium to tall fir from western North America with tiered branches and orange-scented needles when crushed

silver age
  • Literature
7.5

A period of strong achievement in art or culture that is less than a golden age

silver ash
  • Australian
9.9

An Australian tree with pale wood used for furniture

A tree with silvery white peeling bark and drooping branches

silver bromide
  • Specialized
7.0

A white or pale yellow salt that darkens in light and is used in black-and-white photography

silver beech
  • New Zealand
8.0

A tree from New Zealand with pale silvery bark

8.3

A North American tree with white bell-shaped flowers

A small bush or tree with silvery leaves and small yellow fruits

silver chloride
  • Specialized
5.7

A white chemical that does not dissolve in water and is used in photography, electrochemistry, and some medicines

silver fox
  • Informal
7.5

An attractive, stylish older man with grey hair

A thin shiny layer of ice on grass or branches

2.6

A light gray color like shiny metal

silver grass
  • Australian
8.6

A tall plant with long, shiny silver leaves that grows in fields

6.6

A sea fish found off the Atlantic coast of North America that people eat

A strong feeling of love and connection between a mother and her child

A fern with pale white undersides on its leaves

A tall evergreen tree with flat needles white or silvery underneath and a straight trunk

A red fox with dark fur and white tips kept for its fur

9.9

A small silvery fish found near sandy shores of the western Atlantic

silver oak
  • Australian
7.8

A small Australian tree with narrow grey-green hanging leaves and white or cream flowers

A small bush with silvery leaves and white flowers

A climbing plant with fragrant greenish flowers often grown for decoration

A large tree with leaves that are white and soft underneath and often planted in parks

8.9

A large tree with leaves that are silver underneath often planted in parks

6.0

A small shiny fish in the United States that people catch to eat or for sport

silver pine
  • New Zealand
7.5

A New Zealand tree with shiny pale wood used for furniture

9.9

A tree from Australia with hard white wood, shiny green leaves, white flowers and bright blue fruit

8.1

A low shrub with many branches and pale grey leaves that gives shelter and food to wild animals

A low bush with pale grey leaves that gives animals shelter and food

4.1

A small salmon with a shiny silver body that lives in the northern Pacific and the Great Lakes

3.1

Pink fatty meat from a small salmon often sold and eaten as food

7.8

A tall pine from western North America with blue-green needles and bark that forms plates

silver plate
  • Specialized
4.3

A thin layer of silver that covers another material to decorate or protect it

silver protein
  • Specialized
7.9

A liquid made of protein and silver used on skin to stop bacteria

silver quandong
  • Australian
9.9

A pale wood from the quandong tree that is easy to shape for furniture

A white or shiny surface in a cinema for showing movies

A thin flat piece of silver metal used to make jewelry or small items

5.8

A nickname for Nevada from its history of silver mining

A money system where coins are worth a set amount of silver

silver standard
  • Specialized
7.6

A collection of data made automatically with imperfect labels used instead of a high-quality one

8.8

A storm when freezing rain covers everything in ice

An outer surface on a building made from shiny silver metal sheets

How Coated

to electroplate
  • Specialized
1 8.0
to silver
3 5.6
to coat
105 2.8

Surface Forms

silver infinitive
silvered past
silvered past participle
silvering present participle
silvers third person singular

Etymology

The verb silver comes from the old practice of covering objects with the metal silver, for example to make mirrors bright. So to 'silver' something is to make it silver in color or to cover it with silver.