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.
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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
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
But unsurprisingly, the race is usually decided on the climbs — classic ascents such as the Molenberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen, and the Bosberg splintering the peloton.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 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
With nine top Democrats running, the fear is that the candidates will splinter their party’s vote and allow the top two Republicans in the race to finish in first and second place.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
But unsurprisingly, the race is usually decided on the climbs — classic ascents such as the Molenberg, Muur van Geraardsbergen, and the Bosberg splintering the peloton.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for splinter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinter
Noun
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So, in theory, a chip made of such materials could transmit radar signals, store data, and process signals all in one device.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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TikTok’s parent company is sidestepping US restrictions to use Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Many parents are already familiar with grape cutters, but Oxo’s Tot Grape Cutter can be used for much more than slicing grapes for little ones.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
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The ball wobbled in the air, seemingly unable to slice through the cold wind, and into the arms of Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 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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Analysts worry that the boom in artificial intelligence could deepen the divide, with the soaring stock of firms such as AI chipmaker Nvidia benefiting a small sliver of the population but not generating many new jobs.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
9 Mar. 2026
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But that is only a small subset of all knowledge—the sliver that can be expressed symbolically, as language or mathematics.—
Charles Yu,
The Atlantic,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Her trick is to finely chop the ginger, instead of grating it, so there are spicy-sweet nubs in each bite.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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After months and months of being seen with super-long strands, it's suddenly chopped—in the good way.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Density can be measured by dividing mass by volume.—
Heather Barker,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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In Costa’s vision, the city was to be divided into several sectors.—
Sophia La Banca,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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About two and a half miles off the coast, a scattering of amphorae in shallow waters served as a trail for archaeologists, leading them to cargo fragments, ship fittings, and ultimately, the wreckage.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
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This is nothing if not a film of fragments, alternately raucous and off-target.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Another 57 people were being treated for minor injuries, mostly from glass shards.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Splinter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinter. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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