noun
splinter
SPLIHN-tuh
noun
1
A thin, sharp fragment broken off from a larger piece, often wood.
"She got a splinter in her thumb from the old fence."
2
A smaller group that has broken away from a larger organization.
"The splinter faction eventually formed its own political party."
verb
1
To break, or cause to break, into thin sharp pieces.
"The bat splintered on impact with the ball."
2
To break apart into smaller factions.
"The coalition splintered after the election loss."
How to Use Splinter
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA sharp broken-off fragment, or to break (literally or figuratively) into smaller pieces.
Common pairings
splinter group
splinter faction
get a splinter
Word Forms
splintered past tense, splinters plural, Splinters plural, splinters singular
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Etymology
From Middle English splinter, from Middle Dutch splinter, built from splint plus the -er suffix.