splitter

American  

[split-er] / ˈsplɪt ər /

noun

splitters plural

1. a person or thing that splits.

2. Biology Informal. a taxonomist who believes that classifications should emphasize differences between organisms and therefore favors a multiplicity of taxa (opposed to lumper).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• splitters
  plural

Etymology

Origin of splitter

First recorded in 1615–25; split + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

splitter splitters

With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki threw a splitter on the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who homered to right field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

Since then, the fruits of that evolving relationship have included a new, harder splitter, and even more recently, an uptick in fastball velocity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

He possesses just enough pitches — a fastball and a splitter — to last two innings, tops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

The splitter had been the defining pitch of the 1980s and the trend continued into the 1990s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

He was not a splitter, but a lumper, a seeker of deeper anatomy.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Toronto Blue Jays threw more splitters than anybody in the sport and won the American League pennant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

There was just one catch: No one actually threw splitters anymore.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

The Tsinghua team solved this by designing a fully integrated on-chip system with adjustable power splitters and precise delay lines.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2025

Even at mile-high altitude, his ability to locate curveballs and splitters was particularly sharp, helping him rack up 39 strikes out of 56 pitches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

At one time he had and used as legal tender at least forty-five tops of various sizes and colors, from the thick clumsy baby tops to the lean and dangerous splitters with their needle points.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck