as in pieces
a broken or irregular part of something that often remains incomplete
charred fragments of the exploded rocket were scattered over a huge area of ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in disrupts
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fragments
Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
He is accompanied by the Cubans Piñera and Rodríguez Tomeu, who read fragments of poems in a flowery, exaggerated way.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 10 May 2026
Each attendee at the show received a small piece of a painting in the lockable pouches phones were kept in; some fans have speculated that together, the fragments reveal Bridgers’ next album cover.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 10 May 2026
On a spacecraft, this could not only puncture windows but also lead to internal spallation, where fragments break off inside the cabin.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026
When her skeletal remains were discovered in February 2023, investigators determined, based on the fact that no clothing fragments were found near her remains, that Morales’s body had been left there naked.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Another is polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, which looks for fragments of the virus’ genetic material, typically in a blood sample.
—Lauren Dunn, NBC news, 7 May 2026
For now, those fragments have been left in place to allow the eye wound to heal, and doctors are hoping to remove them at a later date.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Some fragments feature drawings or geometric designs rather than text.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Zillow has argued that the approach fragments listing information and reduces transparency for buyers.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
As internal pressure builds, the casing ruptures and scatters fragments outward at high speed, causing widespread injury to those nearby.
—Divya Dubey, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
If one side fragments badly enough, surprises can happen.
—James Ward, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Research by one of us finds that strict land-use regulation induces developers to pursue smaller projects and ultimately fragments the building industry.
—Chris Elmendorf, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Technology increasingly fragments our attention into smaller and smaller units, leaving us less anchored in our own lives.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
The erosion of cooperation fragments collective Arab action on critical issues from Gaza to Nile water disputes, accelerating regional conflicts into competing spheres of influence.
—Khaled Hassan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
Here, the archeologists found tesserae from mosaics, glass fragments, and kitchen pottery.
—Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026
He is accompanied by the Cubans Piñera and Rodríguez Tomeu, who read fragments of poems in a flowery, exaggerated way.
—Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 10 May 2026
Each attendee at the show received a small piece of a painting in the lockable pouches phones were kept in; some fans have speculated that together, the fragments reveal Bridgers’ next album cover.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 10 May 2026
On a spacecraft, this could not only puncture windows but also lead to internal spallation, where fragments break off inside the cabin.
—Alan Bradley, Space.com, 8 May 2026
When her skeletal remains were discovered in February 2023, investigators determined, based on the fact that no clothing fragments were found near her remains, that Morales’s body had been left there naked.
—Mason Leath, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Another is polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, which looks for fragments of the virus’ genetic material, typically in a blood sample.
—Lauren Dunn, NBC news, 7 May 2026
For now, those fragments have been left in place to allow the eye wound to heal, and doctors are hoping to remove them at a later date.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 May 2026
Verb
Democrats, meanwhile, contend the map deliberately fragments minority communities — particularly in regions like Tampa Bay and South Florida — in ways that advantage Republicans.
—Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Some fragments feature drawings or geometric designs rather than text.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Zillow has argued that the approach fragments listing information and reduces transparency for buyers.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 18 Mar. 2026
As internal pressure builds, the casing ruptures and scatters fragments outward at high speed, causing widespread injury to those nearby.
—Divya Dubey, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
If one side fragments badly enough, surprises can happen.
—James Ward, USA Today, 24 Feb. 2026
Research by one of us finds that strict land-use regulation induces developers to pursue smaller projects and ultimately fragments the building industry.
—Chris Elmendorf, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Technology increasingly fragments our attention into smaller and smaller units, leaving us less anchored in our own lives.
—Arianna Huffington, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
The erosion of cooperation fragments collective Arab action on critical issues from Gaza to Nile water disputes, accelerating regional conflicts into competing spheres of influence.
—Khaled Hassan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fragments
Noun
-
Take care not to overmix; keeping some larger pieces of tuna in the mix ensures a more satisfying texture, rather than something closer to tuna salad (delicious, just not the goal here).—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 May 2026
-
These tiny pots can be found on plants, rocks, pieces of wood and other places.—
Pamm Cooper,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Wildlife relies on predictable patterns of darkness and light for migration, breeding and hunting, and artificial light disrupts those cycles.—
Hanna Wickes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 May 2026
-
Residents say another invasive plant, Eichhornia crassipes, which floats on the water’s surface, has long been present in the lagoon and also disrupts fishing and transport, though its impact has been less sudden.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Every now and then, the hunter’s headphones would ping, registering a metallic hit below ground; though the vast majority of those signals were inconsequential, identifying only bits of scrap iron or old lead bullets.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
8 May 2026
-
Advertisement Still, these tender feelings can’t gloss over the gory bits of starting a band.—
Katie Gavin,
Time,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Asking them to leapfrog to low-carbon pathways while denying them finance, technology, and infrastructure undermines trust and fractures global cooperation—the very cooperation climate action depends on.—
Damilola Ogunbiyi,
Time,
19 Mar. 2026
-
South America fractures into a puzzle of fjords and channels at the southernmost tip of the continent, the Brunswick Peninsula, in Chile’s Magallanes Region, where the future park will protect temperate rainforests, shrublands, and vast carbon-capturing peat bogs.—
Mark Johanson,
Outside,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The result is a material that transforms from a liquid to a solid in fractions of a second, to form adhesive strands that are both elastic and strong.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2026
-
According to a securities filing, Corning granted Nvidia warrants to purchase up to 3 million shares — at an exercise price of fractions of a penny — for a total of $500 million.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Anyone who breaks the rules could face a hefty fine.—
Briseida Holguin,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
The ride starts once the bull’s shoulder or hip breaks the plane of the gate, and then the rider will try and hold on for eight seconds.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
It had been crowded, competitive, fighting his brothers and sisters to nestle at the center, for the last scraps of flesh, for the fallen fruit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Gather up dough scraps, reroll, and punch out more biscuits if needed.—
Claire Saffitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The debris – space rocks known as meteoroids – collides with Earth's atmosphere at high speed and disintegrates, creating fiery and colorful streaks in the sky, according to NASA.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
7 May 2026
-
But shortly thereafter, its nucleus fragments and quickly disintegrates.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fragments.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fragments. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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