2 N‑COUNT A silo is a specially built place underground where a nuclear missile is kept. □ …underground nuclear missile silos.
silt /s I lt/ N‑UNCOUNT Silt is fine sand, soil, or mud which is carried along by a river. □ The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.
sil|ver ◆◇◇ /s I lvə r / (silvers )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Silver is a valuable pale-grey metal that is used for making jewellery and ornaments. □ …a hand-crafted brooch made from silver. □ …silver teaspoons.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Silver consists of coins that are made from silver or that look like silver. □ …the basement where £150,000 in silver was buried.
3 N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] You can use silver to refer to all the things in a house that are made of silver, especially the cutlery and dishes. □ He beat the rugs and polished the silver.
4 COLOUR Silver is used to describe things that are shiny and pale grey in colour. □ He had thick silver hair which needed cutting.
5 N‑VAR A silver is the same as a silver medal . □ The British sprinter won silver in the women's 100m.
6 born with a silver spoon in your mouth → see spoon
si l|ver bi rch (silver birches or silver birch ) N‑VAR A silver birch is a tree with a greyish-white trunk and branches.
sil|vered /s I lvə r d/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can describe something as silvered when it has become silver in colour. [LITERARY ] □ He had a magnificent head of silvered hair.
si l|ver ju |bi|lee (silver jubilees ) N‑COUNT A silver jubilee is the 25th anniversary of an important event such as a person becoming king or queen, or an organization being started. □ Channel 4's silver jubilee is celebrated with a brace of quizzes.
si l|ver li n|ing
1 PHRASE If you say that every cloud has a silver lining , you mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it. □ As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. We have drawn lessons from the decisions taken.
2 N‑SING If you talk about a silver lining , you are talking about something positive that comes out of a sad or unpleasant situation. □ [+ of ] The fall in inflation is the silver lining of the prolonged recession.
si l|ver me d|al (silver medals ) N‑COUNT If you win a silver medal , you come second in a competition, especially a sports contest, and are given a medal made of silver as a prize. □ Gillingham won the silver medal in the 200 metres at Seoul.
si l|ver pla te
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Silver plate is metal that has been coated with a thin layer of silver. □ …silver-plate cutlery.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Silver plate is dishes, bowls, and cups that are made of silver. [BRIT ] □ …gold and silver plate, jewellery, and roomfuls of antique furniture. in AM, use silver , solid silver
si lver-pla ted ADJ Something that is silver-plated is covered with a very thin layer of silver. □ …silver-plated cutlery.
si l|ver scree n N‑SING People sometimes refer to the films that are shown in cinemas as the silver screen . □ Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, and James Dean are now legends of the silver screen.
silver|smith /s I lvə r sm I θ/ (silversmiths ) N‑COUNT A silversmith is a person who makes things out of silver.
si lver-to ngued ADJ [usu ADJ n] A silver-tongued person is very skilful at persuading people to believe what they say or to do what they want them to do. □ …a silver-tongued lawyer.
silver|ware /s I lvə r weə r /
1 N‑UNCOUNT You can use silverware to refer to all the things in a house that are made of silver, especially the cutlery and dishes. □ There was a serving spoon missing when Nina put the silverware back in its box.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Journalists sometimes use silverware to refer to silver cups and other prizes won by sports teams or players. □ Everton paraded their recently acquired silverware.
si l|ver we d|ding (silver weddings ) N‑COUNT [usu poss N ] A married couple's silver wedding or silver wedding anniversary is the 25th anniversary of their wedding. □ He and Helen celebrated their silver wedding last year.
sil|very /s I lvəri/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Silvery things look like silver or are the colour of silver. □ …a small, intense man with silvery hair.
sim /s I m/ (sims ) N‑COUNT A sim is a computer game that simulates an activity such as playing a sport or flying an aircraft. [COMPUTING ] □ The game is a simple sports sim.
SIM card /s I m kɑː r d/ (SIM cards ) N‑COUNT A SIM card is a microchip in a mobile phone that connects it to a particular phone network. SIM is an abbreviation for 'Subscriber Identity Module'.
sim|ian /s I miən/
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone has a simian face, they look rather like a monkey. [FORMAL ] □ Ada had a wrinkled, simian face.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Simian is used to describe things relating to monkeys or apes. [TECHNICAL ] □ …a simian virus.
simi|lar ◆◆◇ /s I m I lə r / ADJ If one thing is similar to another, or if two things are similar , they have features that are the same. □ [+ to ] …a savoury cake with a texture similar to that of carrot cake. □ [+ to ] The accident was similar to one that happened in 1973. □ …a group of similar pictures. SYNONYMS similar ADJ