fragment
noun
a part broken off or detached.
had fragmented
-
past perfectof fragment.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the time the team arrived at the site a good portion of the debris had fragmented and washed away, leaving only a single Y-shaped segment, the university said.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
The imperial government was able to manage these groups for a time, but by the fifth century, the Roman West had fragmented into various Germanic kingdoms.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
In the early 20th century, immigration restrictions created the conditions for consolidating the category "white," while massive immigration a few decades earlier, in the 19th century, had fragmented it.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2022
After nine months my body had fragmented into two – two distinct and disorienting collections of needs – where previously there had been just one.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2019
The region also had fragmented reefs millions of years ago, a phenomenon that forced fish populations to live in isolation, subdivide and form new species.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2014
