as in disrupting
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
you can fragment that peanut brittle easily, but how it breaks is basically up to the brittle
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Recent Examples of fragmenting
Research indicates that districts with three to eight members are ideal to provide more accurate representation without overly fragmenting the party system.
—
Jennifer Lynn McCoy, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
Alliances feel shakier, trade is fragmenting, and great powers are jostling more openly.
—Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Called the Crack Indication Tool, or CIT, it was meant to model how and when the Avcoat material might begin fragmenting in various conditions.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
States that are already watering down or even eliminating vaccine requirements may align with the administration’s decision to neglect and hide the data, contributing to a growing gap between states on vaccine policy, further fragmenting and politicizing decisions that should be based on science.
—Jill Rosenthal, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
The network’s arrival on YouTube TV is being framed by supporters as a victory for civic transparency at a time when access to government proceedings is fragmenting across platforms.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
These fans buy, watch, travel and advocate more, and do it in a landscape where media rights are fragmenting and attention scarce.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Achieving multiplatinum certification in America after selling over 8 million copies and spending seventeen non-consecutive weeks at #1, Synchronicity left Sting with few creative or financial reasons to remain in the fragmenting band.
—Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
An expanding iron-ore mine and a deposit of rare-earth minerals are fragmenting the land and altering ancient reindeer migration routes.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Jennifer Lynn McCoy, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026
Alliances feel shakier, trade is fragmenting, and great powers are jostling more openly.
—Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Called the Crack Indication Tool, or CIT, it was meant to model how and when the Avcoat material might begin fragmenting in various conditions.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
States that are already watering down or even eliminating vaccine requirements may align with the administration’s decision to neglect and hide the data, contributing to a growing gap between states on vaccine policy, further fragmenting and politicizing decisions that should be based on science.
—Jill Rosenthal, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
The network’s arrival on YouTube TV is being framed by supporters as a victory for civic transparency at a time when access to government proceedings is fragmenting across platforms.
—Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 8 Dec. 2025
These fans buy, watch, travel and advocate more, and do it in a landscape where media rights are fragmenting and attention scarce.
—Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Achieving multiplatinum certification in America after selling over 8 million copies and spending seventeen non-consecutive weeks at #1, Synchronicity left Sting with few creative or financial reasons to remain in the fragmenting band.
—Mike Alleyne, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
An expanding iron-ore mine and a deposit of rare-earth minerals are fragmenting the land and altering ancient reindeer migration routes.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fragmenting
Verb
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And Palantir cofounder Thiel has been disrupting the college-to-job pipeline for much longer.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
20 Feb. 2026
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The guest list is high-profile enough that the street in front of the building, a main artery in the city, is cordoned off for the entire evening, disrupting tram service, and dozens of police officers are stationed outside.—
Valeriya Safronova,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Adults who should be home caring for their children are constantly being removed, fracturing families through continual arrests.—
Emily Galvin Almanza,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
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Powered largely by voters of color and women, the party still grapples with how to frame issues of race, gender and transgender rights without fracturing its coalition.—
Gromer Jeffers Jr,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.—
Shira Moolten,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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After rising higher earlier this year and briefly breaking the $100-per-ounce barrier, silver prices slid sharply before dipping and rising — and then dipping again.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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By 2019, Virginia photographer John Plashal caught wind of what was disintegrating on Hankins' out-of-the-way acres.—
Danielle Paquette The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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Around the world, states were disintegrating, climate systems were approaching tipping points, economies were stagnating, and inequality was rising.—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fragmenting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fragmenting. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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