splinter 1 of 2

noun

ˈsplin-tər How to pronounce splinter (audio)
Definition of splinternext
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

splinter

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to slice
to cut into long slender pieces He splintered the carrots into little sticks.

Synonyms & Similar Words
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.

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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 splinter
Noun
Townshend’s cynicism proved prescient as the generation that marched, occupied, and dropped out in the late 1960s spent the 1970s watching the New Left splinter. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 Designed for patios, balconies, porches, pool decks, and walkways that could use a little TLC, the 12-inch tiles are waterproof, splinter-free, and bring the warmth of real wood to an outdoor space on a budget. — Better Homes & Gardens, 31 July 2026
Verb
When another attack splinters the small town of Pikeville, Charlotte — now a lawyer like her father — is the first witness on the scene. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 With the throne disengaged from governance, petitions and reports from officials piled up unread, crucial state posts went unfilled, and the imperial bureaucracy splintered amid poisonous factional infighting. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for splinter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinter
  1. chip
  2. slice
  3. split
  4. sliver
  5. chop
  6. divide
  7. fragment
  8. shard
Noun
  • The shift from chips to capital carries significant risks should OpenAI run into trouble.
    — Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the MacBook Neo runs on an A18 Pro chip, first released in iPhones and adapted to run macOS.
    — Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of chip
Verb
  • Carefully tip loaf out onto a wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour before slicing.
    — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Markos takes revenge by slicing up Matt’s face with a switchblade, leaving him horribly disfigured and his acting career essentially over.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of slice
Verb
  • The interface splits each 2-core fiber into two single-core fibers inside the repeater for efficient amplification, then merges them back into 2-core fibers.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Wanda, a donkey, and Max, a horse, split their time between a farm upstate and a stable in the Bronx.
    — Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of split
Noun
  • Up there like the queen of it all is this big platelike moon with a sliver out of it at the three-o’clock position.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The idiosyncratic biopic makes the right choices, giving us in a sliver of time the dailiness of a working life with its gossip, money worries, and ongoing projects dwindling or cresting or inching forward.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of sliver
Verb
  • Your colleagues might be chopping, stirring and whipping up a meal on the other side of your video call, a new survey found.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The stock also looked somewhat complacent, with the equity chopping around historical support levels dating back to May 2025.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of chop
Verb
  • Several aircraft could divide surveillance tasks or combine their efforts to improve coverage in a particular sector.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Depending on your opinion of him (the fandom is divided), this one might not be your favorite.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of divide
Noun
  • Short for polydeoxyribonucleotide, it’s made from small, purified fragments of DNA taken from the sperm cells of certain fish, usually salmon or trout.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Nearly a year later, in November 1998, human bone fragments were found in Mobile, Arizona.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of fragment
Noun
  • Each is almost seven by five feet, and most establish a broad field of color—blue, crimson, orange—across which migrate sharp and irregular shapes, some like long teeth or spears, others like shards of obsidian.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Try topping with a plop of Greek yogurt or some shards of feta.
    — Emma Laperruque, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of shard

Browse Nearby Words

splint
splinter
splintered
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Cite this Entry

“Splinter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinter. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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