as in slivers
a small flat piece separated from a whole
she got a splinter from the unfinished wall
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Recent Examples of splinters
Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 Apr. 2026
In 1903, a vicious winter storm reduced most of the piers to splinters, and by 1906 offshore oil production at Summerland had all but ceased.
—Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Upon impact, cannonballs would have sent wooden splinters flying like debris from grenades.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Weeks before King Charles' coronation, The Times reported that Pope Francis, then the leader of the Catholic Church, gave King Charles two splinters of wood believed to be from the True Cross as a personal gift in honor of the coronation.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Unlike typical wooden options, this one offers much easier maintenance thanks to its high-density polyethylene (HDPE) build that won’t require repainting nor leave you with pesky splinters.
—Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
Injuries range from mouth splinters and choking to bowel blockages, eye damage, wounds, infections, or even sticks penetrating the body; vets have treated severe cases, some fatal.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Their performance is stoking a rising sense of anxiety among Democrats as their vote splinters among a field of eight contenders, with the head of the state party calling on low-polling candidates to quit by April 15.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The ground shakes and the hardwood splinters.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Denise Petski, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Endlessly switching between apps and online platforms splinters our attention and can lead to digital exhaustion, leaving us anxious, apathetic and unfocused.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Megyn Kelly is continuing her hard-right tack, lashing back at Ben Shapiro and aligning herself with Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon as the MAGA movement dramatically splinters.
—Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
Rumors are swirling in Kansas political circles that Republican leaders are considering initiating a special session like the one that just concluded in Missouri and produced a new map that splinters Kansas City into three congressional districts.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead of picking a single character to follow for the duration of the film, Cregger splinters the mystery among six people, separated into distinct chapters, beginning with Justine.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
Bricks, scorched wood frame splinters and other debris are scattered there.
—Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 Apr. 2026
In 1903, a vicious winter storm reduced most of the piers to splinters, and by 1906 offshore oil production at Summerland had all but ceased.
—Jeffrey Marlow, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
Upon impact, cannonballs would have sent wooden splinters flying like debris from grenades.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 5 Apr. 2026
Weeks before King Charles' coronation, The Times reported that Pope Francis, then the leader of the Catholic Church, gave King Charles two splinters of wood believed to be from the True Cross as a personal gift in honor of the coronation.
—Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Unlike typical wooden options, this one offers much easier maintenance thanks to its high-density polyethylene (HDPE) build that won’t require repainting nor leave you with pesky splinters.
—Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Mar. 2026
Injuries range from mouth splinters and choking to bowel blockages, eye damage, wounds, infections, or even sticks penetrating the body; vets have treated severe cases, some fatal.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
Their performance is stoking a rising sense of anxiety among Democrats as their vote splinters among a field of eight contenders, with the head of the state party calling on low-polling candidates to quit by April 15.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
The ground shakes and the hardwood splinters.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026
Verb
When another attack splinters the small town of Pikeville, Charlotte is the first witness on the scene.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Endlessly switching between apps and online platforms splinters our attention and can lead to digital exhaustion, leaving us anxious, apathetic and unfocused.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Megyn Kelly is continuing her hard-right tack, lashing back at Ben Shapiro and aligning herself with Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon as the MAGA movement dramatically splinters.
—Kimberly Nordyke, HollywoodReporter, 23 Dec. 2025
Rumors are swirling in Kansas political circles that Republican leaders are considering initiating a special session like the one that just concluded in Missouri and produced a new map that splinters Kansas City into three congressional districts.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
Instead of picking a single character to follow for the duration of the film, Cregger splinters the mystery among six people, separated into distinct chapters, beginning with Justine.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for splinters
Noun
-
Wrapped in puff pastry with slivers of jalapeño peppers, these retro pigs in a blanket will disappear fast at any party.—
Shelly Westerhausen Worcel,
Midwest Living,
15 May 2026
-
It’s surrounded by the sea (even the bathtub has a door that opens up to slivers of blue) and feels one with the landscape—in some cases, literally.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The map slices through Kansas City, splitting the city’s voters across three Republican-leaning districts.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Toast 2–4 slices bread of choice (such as country-style sourdough or multigrain).—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Hall was found dead at a villa with head injuries, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported, and had shards of glass from a glass door in his chest, per local outlet Ultima Hora.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
For context, Juszczyk is a 6-foot-1, 235-pound behemoth whose knees probably feel like broken shards of glass at this point in his life.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Consider two investors, one who invests $7,500 at the beginning of the year, and another who chops it up into $288 biweekly investments.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The proposal chops $150 million from the Developmental Disabilities Administration, which battled against the largest budget cut in last year's negotiations.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Beijing also seeks access to top-end chips made by American manufacturers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Another task involved answering elementary school questions with a giant pencil, and the final showdown was over a Plinko-esque game with specialized chips.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
There’s a whole-house generator, central AC/heat, and mini-splits to keep things feeling comfortable no matter the weather.—
Clio Chang,
Curbed,
17 May 2026
-
Once it’s discovered that there’s a contingent of hostile infiltrators and not just one, the action splits between the cops in town and Sung-ki and his buddies in the mountainside forest, where Na steers the story deeper into classic sci-fi territory.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Pastoral care, safeguarding, academic standards, finance, HR, and operations all have to move as one unit, or the work fragments.—
Dan Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Loose bodies are cartilage or bone fragments that float around in the fluid of the elbow joint.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Splinters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/splinters. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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