as in slivers
a small sharp piece of something (such as glass or pottery)
Watch out for the shards of glass on the floor.
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Recent Examples of shards
Scott Wedgewood finally came unglued and left Colorado’s chances of winning in shards on the ice.
—
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Splinters from the shotgun and metal shards from its trigger guard were found inside Barnes’ apartment — and linked back to the shotgun used in the murders.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Photos in the incident reports show the patrol car struck by shrapnel, and an officer holding the metal shards.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
For humans, crystalline buildups in the body manifest as excruciating shards in joints—a condition known as gout—or as kidney stones in the urinary tract.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
Pilot injured, passengers rebooked Photos shared online appeared to show one of the pilots with minor bruises and cuts on his forearm, likely caused by flying glass shards.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Out of the shards, a message Douglass continued studying how the Malagasy have interacted with and adapted to their changing environment and climate over time.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
The assault left four members dead and numerous others physically injured, some from gunshots, others by smoke inhalation and still others gashed and bleeding from shrapnel and shards of glass.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Researchers like me carefully separate out the tiny glass shards by sifting through the dirt and using a micromanipulator, a tool that can pick up and move microscopic grains.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Splinters from the shotgun and metal shards from its trigger guard were found inside Barnes’ apartment — and linked back to the shotgun used in the murders.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Photos in the incident reports show the patrol car struck by shrapnel, and an officer holding the metal shards.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
For humans, crystalline buildups in the body manifest as excruciating shards in joints—a condition known as gout—or as kidney stones in the urinary tract.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
Pilot injured, passengers rebooked Photos shared online appeared to show one of the pilots with minor bruises and cuts on his forearm, likely caused by flying glass shards.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2025
Out of the shards, a message Douglass continued studying how the Malagasy have interacted with and adapted to their changing environment and climate over time.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
The assault left four members dead and numerous others physically injured, some from gunshots, others by smoke inhalation and still others gashed and bleeding from shrapnel and shards of glass.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
Researchers like me carefully separate out the tiny glass shards by sifting through the dirt and using a micromanipulator, a tool that can pick up and move microscopic grains.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shards
Noun
-
This classic recipe is complemented by slivers of bacon and ranch, two Southern favorites.—
Mary Alice Russell,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The elder Sitake knows about embracing faint slivers of light in dark times.—
Christopher Kamrani,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As rival governments emerge and the country fragments, access to aid has been weaponized and humanitarian workers killed with impunity.—
David Miliband,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
-
According to Science Alert, if the samples reveal traces of material consistent with a meteorite, the museum will likely conduct a search of the site to locate any remaining fragments.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The amount of space between garden soil particles is so minuscule that container plants struggle to send their roots into it and extract nutrients from it.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
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Its particles contain a uranium kernel wrapped in three layers of carbon and ceramic materials.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The vacuum is dedicated to getting even the tiniest specks of dirt, circling back two or three times until the area is spotless.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
3 Nov. 2025
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The tiny black specks of vanilla pack a surprisingly aromatic punch.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Nice vanilla bean flecks and round, fatty flavor with only the subtlest hint of coconut.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Oct. 2025
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And Abrams-Draine still managed to emerge with just a few flecks of soot after getting thrown in the fire last season, picking off Justin Herbert in a loss to the Chargers and establishing himself as a building block in a spot start.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Directed by Olivier & Tony Award nominee Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things; Wolf Hall) and MacMillan, Every Brilliant Thing revolves around a man who looks back at his life and the glimmers of hope that carried him through.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Well, that’s where the Golden State truly glimmers.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That’s all great, but the Guardians aren’t ones to make free-agent splashes, and that’s especially the case with a potential work stoppage clouding everything after the 2026 season.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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But just like those old Higdon’s the new model splashes and bobs aggressively.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Like so many other bits of Times coverage, the whole of the piece is structured as an orchestrated encounter.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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Those bits of baked-on food should wipe right off after a good soak.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shards. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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