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
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Recent Examples of splinter
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Clashes between Islamist militants have become a central feature of the conflict wreaking havoc across the Sahel and West Africa, including in Nigeria, where Boko Haram has engaged in frequent battles with a splinter faction aligned with ISIS' Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The rub for Democrats is that with at least a dozen candidates, votes are likely to be splintered.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Noun
The paper also prevents wear and tear on the wood surface and keeps small splinters from snagging delicate clothing.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
Clashes between Islamist militants have become a central feature of the conflict wreaking havoc across the Sahel and West Africa, including in Nigeria, where Boko Haram has engaged in frequent battles with a splinter faction aligned with ISIS' Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
Verb
In the past, the removal of cartel leaders in Mexico has often resulted in their organizations splintering and in secondary violence, rather than collapse.
—CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
The rub for Democrats is that with at least a dozen candidates, votes are likely to be splintered.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinter
Noun
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For long, chip designers have viewed moving ions as a nuisance.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
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The restaurants were selected by members of the Courier Journal newsroom based on various criteria, including taste, texture, cheese and topping to chip (or tot) ratio, creativity, flavor, and more.—
Amanda Hancock,
Louisville Courier Journal,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Troy Rice, like most golfers, says few things are more disheartening than slicing the ball on a swing that feels good.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Ramona would never slice the deficit to single digits.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Proposition 50 also split the sprawling district held by Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin, into six pieces, leaving the Northern California congressman and frequent Newsom critic with few good options.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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However, in the aftermath of their legendary Woodstock performance, Country Joe and the Fish split up, and McDonald embarked on his own solo career beginning with 1969’s Thinking of Woody Guthrie, a collection of songs by the folk legend.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On the tea-time menu that Wednesday is Vazhakkai Bajji, green plantain slivers folded into spicy chickpea batter, deep-fried a crisp orange-brown and presented on a banana leaf with a coconut dipping chutney on the side.—
Kalpana Mohan,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
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Far from busier beach bars that draw maritime visitors, Island Paradise Restaurant offers classic Caribbean fare bursting with flavor in a quaint local home with a sliver of an ocean view.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prepare this dish by shredding the chicken and chopping the carrots and leeks up to two days in advance.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
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Cooks will chop flesh in the kitchen.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Party strategists in both camps acknowledge that a prolonged and bitter runoff could leave Republicans divided heading into the fall.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
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Committee members were split on proposals to close schools — divided between the belief that campuses with few students burden staff and provide limited resources, and the worry that combining small schools will create overcrowding, split communities and harm students.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then last year came the discovery of Rancho Izaguirre, just 45 minutes down the highway, where bone fragments, clothing and other evidence indicated the cartel had been disposing of bodies.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Avoiding documentary-like methods that presume to grasp events in large visual gulps, Ouédraogo offers visual fragments (however ample) that conjure a spectrum of experience that goes beyond what’s onscreen.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Locked in a safe on her desk at Boston University’s Institute for Astrophysical Research is a shard of meteorite flecked with material older than the sun.—
James Dinneen,
Quanta Magazine,
2 Mar. 2026
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Scant artifacts survived those conditions, and almost all the porcelain recovered from the site consisted of shards.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splinter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinter. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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