splinter

[ splin-ter ]

/ ˈsplɪn tər /

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See synonyms for: splinter / splintered / splintering / splintery on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, bone, or the like, split or broken off from the main body.

splinter group.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

to be split or broken into splinters.

to break off in splinters.

OTHER WORDS FOR splinter

1 sliver.

8 separate, part, split.

See synonyms for splinter on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of splinter

1350–1400; Middle English <Middle Dutch or Middle Low German; cf. splint

OTHER WORDS FROM splinter

splin·ter·less, adjectivesplin·ter·y, adjectiveun·splin·tered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use splinter in a sentence

Upstairs, in the living room, splintered logs of hemlock cackled and spat from inside the wood stove.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They splintered themselves into two categories: “Hardcore” and “Casual.”
Death of ‘Gamer’ Identity: How Hardcore Trolls Pwned Themselves|Alec Kubas-Meyer|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the term splintered, people clung to it and its variations.
Death of ‘Gamer’ Identity: How Hardcore Trolls Pwned Themselves|Alec Kubas-Meyer|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He didn't lose anyone in "The Sudden Departure," but his family has splintered anyway.
‘The Leftovers’ Review: A Fever Dream You Can’t Wake Up From|Andrew Romano|June 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Shields are again splintered into useless bits, and sparks fly from all the metallic collisions.
The ‘GOT’ Red Viper and Mountain Duel, and a History of Medieval Trial by Combat|Steven Isaac|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bang went the fragile bulb, as it splintered into a thousand atoms, and the mercury shot in sparkling globules over the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He glanced quickly at me out of a square, serious face, then plunged back through the splintered door toward the breakup inside.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
There was a sharp snap as the boom, splintered in two in the middle, emerged from the waves, a useless thing.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
Away it bounded, with the ease and certainty of a well-aimed arrow, over a ridge of splintered rocks.
Menotah|Ernest G. Henham
"See," he said, holding the tiny flame above a splintered scar on the boards.
Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for splinter

splinter

/ (ˈsplɪntə) /

noun

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

verb

to reduce or be reduced to sharp fragments; shatter

to break or be broken off in small sharp fragments

Word Origin for splinter

C14: from Middle Dutch splinter; see splint

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

splinter

OTHER WORDS FOR splinter

Origin of splinter

OTHER WORDS FROM splinter

Words related to splinter

How to use splinter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for splinter

Word Origin for splinter