as in chip
a small flat piece separated from a whole
she got a splinter from the unfinished wall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to split
to cause (people) to break up into opposing groups
The board splintered as soon as the most contentious issues came up for discussion.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of splinter
Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump’s threats and the oil blockade seem to have united Cuban officials and supporters of the government at the same time his administration was trying to splinter its inner circle.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Noun
The group began as a splinter of Al-Qaeda two decades ago, and in 2013 and 2014 took over several large cities in Iraq and Syria.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
Sure, the water is blue—sometimes turquoise, sometimes electric teal—but the similarities start to splinter from there.
—Bailey Berg, Architectural Digest, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump’s threats and the oil blockade seem to have united Cuban officials and supporters of the government at the same time his administration was trying to splinter its inner circle.
—Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinter
Noun
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The expertise gained from manufacturing memory chips could lead to advances in other chips, such as GPUs, Albright Stonebridge Group's Triolo said.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
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The coyote was released later in Barrington Hills on 9 acres of private property, where rabbits and mice — not submarine sandwiches and chips — would be his daily fare.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The terse staff will slice a rectangular piece of pizza for you from a long slab, wrap it in paper, and send you on your way.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
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Those threats include boat strikes from propellers slicing through shells, being caught in fishing nets, shoreline development, tree removal reducing natural cover, de-icing bubblers that give otters access to hibernating turtles, and climate change.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The teams split two previous meetings, so the winner Monday wins the tiebreaker if the teams finish tie.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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Boise’s new professional soccer team is one week away from its first home game after splitting a pair of road contests.—
Statesman staff report,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The problem is that funds marketed to retail investors allow just that, offering them the chance to take out a sliver of their money on a quarterly or monthly basis.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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But with Friday’s 131-113 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bulls were officially eliminated from postseason contention, removing the last sliver of competition from the final two-week stretch of the season.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Western-style chefs' knives have a wider 20º angle for chopping, while most Japanese-style knives have a less aggressive 15º angle that’s adept at slicing.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
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Shaded by the forest canopy, locals chop firewood, bag recyclables or tinker with bicycles and electric scooters.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The site is being divided into several parcels, one destined for a Yokohama-like building with an attached hotel, another for housing, a third for shipping perishable freight.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
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Polls show the nation is sharply divided over the issue of American citizenship for newborn children of unauthorized immigrants.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The notes bounced over the lapping water, and people’s voices came in fragments.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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The event Moskovitz is referring to occurred on March 21, when a 1-ton, 3-foot-wide meteor exploded over Texas, with a cannonball-sized fragment crashing through the roof of a house in Bammel, near Cypress Station, north of Houston, Texas.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Surely there was something more beneath all this mild pleasantness, some edge of resentment, a few shards of indignation on the brink of cutting through.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
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Cristobal’s arc can use a mite more variance overall, but her playing of Margot’s inner-torture from having to live with the literal shards of blood on her neck is effective.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splinter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinter. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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