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Shard dates back to Old English (where it was spelled sceard) and is related to Old English scieran, meaning "to cut." English speakers have adopted the modernized shard spelling for most uses, but archaeologists prefer to spell the word sherd when referring to the ancient fragments of pottery (sometimes referred to specifically as potsherds) they unearth. While shard initially referred to exactly such items, today the word is also used more broadly to encompass slivers of intangible concepts. A baseless accusation may be made "without a shard of evidence," and fans of the losing team may "cling to a shard of hope" until the final score. The utility of shard is its, ahem, point.
Examples of shard in a Sentence
Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
At first glance, Glass Mountain looks out of place—an irregular, pale, 15-foot mound glinting in the sunlight, as if someone dumped a pile of shiny shards in the middle of the desert.
—Taryn Shorr-McKee, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2025
In the process, one robber violently shoved the store’s octogenarian owner to the ground, police said, leaving him bloodied and lacerated from numerous shards of glass.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Dec. 2025
While these are extreme examples, if used improperly, glass cookware can crack or shatter, leaving shards of glass in your oven or on your countertop.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shard
Cite this Entry
“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shard. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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shard
noun
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