splinter
a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, bone, or the like, split or broken off from the main body.
to split or break into splinters.
to break off (something) in splinters.
to split or break (a larger group) into separate factions or independent groups.
Obsolete. to secure or support by a splint or splints, as a broken limb.
to be split or broken into splinters.
to break off in splinters.
Origin of splinter
1Other words for splinter
Other words from splinter
- splin·ter·less, adjective
- splin·ter·y, adjective
- un·splin·tered, adjective
Words Nearby splinter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use splinter in a sentence
They pull splinters, trim and strip wire, reach things in small places, undo overtightened knots, and help perform many other small tasks we ask our multitools to help with.
We Checked Out Leatherman’s Mr. Crunch, the Company’s Long-Awaited Original Multitool | wsiler | February 25, 2022 | Outside OnlineThe wooden chalk bucket is so old that athletes get splinters if they dig their hands in too deep before hopping on the equipment.
Can men’s college gymnastics be saved? Minnesota is trying, even on its way out. | Liz Clarke | April 16, 2021 | Washington PostIt handily sucked out a nearly invisible splinter from my partner’s hand, and its lightweight and compact nature means it’s easy to fit it into your pack or car for any adventures you have planned.
This faction of the opposition is itself fractured into dozens of splinter groups.
Al Qaeda Makes a Play for the U.S. Allies the War Against ISIS Depends On | Jacob Siegel | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDS: I got a splinter of wood through my ear as some doors were exploding.
Dan Stevens Blows Up ‘Downton’: From Chubby-Cheeked Aristo to Lean, Mean American Psycho | Tim Teeman | September 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
While new open-carry groups pop up and old organizations splinter, the gun control movement has found strength in partnerships.
A tornado does not just topple trees, it tears off their branches and twists their trunks until they splinter.
Oklahoma Tornado Devastation: What the Twister Left Behind | Michael Daly | May 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe second lesson is that progressive movements all too often splinter among themselves, rather than uniting around common values.
Women Of The Wall Reaffirm Support For Sharansky Plan | Mira Sucharov | May 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTOver this we toasted bits of meat on the end of a splinter, and presently our hunger was appeased.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThe second barrel was discharged with no better result, except that a splinter of its horn was knocked off.
Hunting the Lions | R.M. BallantyneCan be made from colorless acid by adding a splinter of pine, or allowing to stand in sunlight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddUsing a pair of bullet-molds I managed to secure a grip on the ugly splinter and pull it out.
A Virginia Scout | Hugh PendexterTwo bullets went through the boy's hat; then a splinter cut through his clothes; still he did not flinch.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes | Various
British Dictionary definitions for splinter
/ (ˈsplɪntə) /
a very small sharp piece of wood, glass, metal, etc, characteristically long and thin, broken off from a whole
a metal fragment, from the container of a shell, bomb, etc, thrown out during an explosion
to reduce or be reduced to sharp fragments; shatter
to break or be broken off in small sharp fragments
Origin of splinter
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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