splinter group

American  

noun

1. a small organization that becomes separated from or acts apart from an original larger group or a number of other small groups, with which it would normally be united, as because of disagreement.

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splinter group British  

noun

1. a number of members of an organization, political party, etc, who split from the main body and form an independent association, usually as the result of dissension

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splinter group Idioms  

1. A part of an organization that breaks away from the main body, usually owing to disagreement. For example, Perot's supporters at first constituted a splinter group but soon formed a third political party. This idiom alludes to the noun splinter, a fragment of wood or some other material that is split or broken off. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

splinter group

President Bola Tinubu said the attackers were militants from Ansaru, a Boko Haram splinter group known to operate in central Nigeria, extending into the southwest.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

Recently six countries representing most of the bloc’s economy and population formed a splinter group to drive the idea forward, and their leaders are trying to persuade others to join.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Iswap is a splinter group of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been waging an insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

A faction formed a splinter group called Sierrans for U.S.

From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2024

Initial reports tied Mr. Aziz to a terrorist splinter group, but the FBI now is now calling it a simple case of mistaken identity.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed