SPALL Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

spall

noun

ˈspȯl

Definition of spall

as in chip

a small flat piece separated from a whole found a variety of uses for the spalls left over from their stonecutting operations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of spall The curtains are made up of overlapping, three-quarter inch plates of AR500 steel encased in a layer of ballistic nylon that captures spall, the shards of metal that break off from a colliding bullet. — Dan Robitzski, Popular Mechanics, 8 Mar. 2018 The reports noted that numerous repairs had been made to cracks and spalls in the spillway. — Bettina Boxall, latimes.com, 24 Apr. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spall

Noun

Rare earth metals come to mind, magnets come to mind, and all the gears and actuators and chips and so forth.

— John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Nvidia has been facing the soaring costs of memory chips, which are essential for its GPUs and systems.

— Michelle Fox, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of chip

Noun

Most of the moon will be obscured, with only a thin sliver remaining outside the shadow, giving the lunar surface an eerie red glow.

— Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2026
The portion of the First Miami Presbyterian Church site slated for redevelopment faces a sliver of Biscayne Bay that separates Brickell from Brickell Key.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of sliver

Noun

In a sequencer that resembled a large fridge, millions of short nucleic-acid fragments would be identified in the span of ten hours.

— Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026
The artifacts included eight deformed sickles, one intact sickle, part of a sword blade, ornament fragments, three ingots and two unfinished objects.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fragment

Noun

Los Lobos emerged as a splinter organization from Los Choneros and has established routes into Mexico through relationships with organizations including Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación, Treasury said.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
One day, while washing a wooden cutting board, a splinter lodged in my left index finger.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of splinter

Noun

These kinds of seemingly effortless lines, lines that take a small shard of experience and hold it up to the light, offer some clues as to how the thirty-one-year-old Bridgers earned her reputation as one of her generation’s standout songwriters.

— Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
Each year, countless shards of this ancient comet collide with our wandering planet.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of shard

Browse Nearby Words

spading

spall

spalls

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spall. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of spall

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cogent

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes