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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of splinter
Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
The fungus enters the body through small cuts or puncture wounds, often from rose thorns or splinters.
—Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
The vigilantes in Guajes de Ayala join a volatile landscape of warring armed groups – from cartels with tentacles across Latin America to local mafias – in regions like Guerrero ravaged by splintering cartels for decades.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Noun
Similarly, older floors tend to creak and squeak underfoot, and may even have loose staples, nails, or wooden splinters that can put you at risk.
—Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 25 Feb. 2026
The fungus enters the body through small cuts or puncture wounds, often from rose thorns or splinters.
—Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
The vigilantes in Guajes de Ayala join a volatile landscape of warring armed groups – from cartels with tentacles across Latin America to local mafias – in regions like Guerrero ravaged by splintering cartels for decades.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinter
Noun
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State police later searched the area near the steel bridge and found among the piles of wood chips an envelope bearing the victim’s name, pieces of bone and tissue, a human fingernail and crowns to the victim’s teeth, prosecutors said.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
27 Mar. 2026
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The blue-chip Dow and the small-cap Russell 2000 are also nearing correction territory, each down about 9% from its all-time high.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Scatter 1–2 jalapeños, thinly sliced, over shrimp, then sprinkle 2 Tbsp.—
Hana Asbrink,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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Move the bread to a rack and let cool before slicing.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other changes, such as splitting the MMR vaccine, remain in place.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
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Iowa State and Virginia have split four previous meetings, though the Cavaliers won the most recent matchup and the only one in the NCAA Tournament.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Smaller by far and equally jaw-dropping is La Copine, a sliver of a restaurant in nearby Yucca Valley.—
Scott Hocker,
TheWeek,
24 Mar. 2026
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The Chokepoint That Moves the World The Strait of Hormuz is a sliver of water barely 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, separating Iran from Oman.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Add 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
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The boats will be returning to McCovey Cove, the garlic is being freshly chopped for the fries, and the gorgeous, unmistakable mix of grass, dirt, brick, wind and water at Oracle Park is nearly ready to welcome us back for another season of Giants baseball.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Republicans now plan to give the measure an up-or-down vote in a bid to divide Democrats.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Mar. 2026
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This discussion comes during a critical time for Ag Reserve landowners, many of whom are divided between wanting to develop on their land and leaving agriculture behind.—
Abigail Hasebroock,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The military said missile fragments struck the edge of Jerusalem's Old City, home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
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Today, the room hosts complex Lego sets in various states of completion, along with shelves of semi-functional robots and baskets of knitting filled with sweater fragments.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
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Most of those issues have been from oil, lubrication, other or casing or shards inside the engines.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splinter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinter. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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