as in slivers
a small sharp piece of something (such as glass or pottery)
Watch out for the shards of glass on the floor.
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Recent Examples of shards
The designs for the towers’ mosaic tiles, which Gaudí constructed by hand from ceramic shards, are workshopped and finalized using 3-D-design software called Rhinoceros.
—
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Kafka’s life and work are fragmented, so the film had to be fragmented too—piecing together shards of his fiction, his letters, and his lived experience.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Did a Smurl sister really vomit bloody glass shards?
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
The archaeologists also came across obsidian fragments and pottery shards.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In this add on, a meteor lands on a volcanic island and so Kirby is left collecting shards of a shattered crystal and preventing an eerie presence from inside the rock from escaping.
—Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The reader bobs along in the author’s stream of consciousness, riding crests of despair, anger, and hilarity as Toews assembles the shards of her past to investigate her will to write, which is deeply entwined with her will to live.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
More elaborate approaches might involve steel plates to help absorb the shock of an explosion or keep concrete shards from flying off the walls and damaging equipment or injuring personnel.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
But remnants of data can be retrieved even from shards, so smelting shredded equipment is a final step that customers might prefer — although that process is criticized for emitting toxic fumes.
—Bob Woods, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Kafka’s life and work are fragmented, so the film had to be fragmented too—piecing together shards of his fiction, his letters, and his lived experience.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Did a Smurl sister really vomit bloody glass shards?
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
The archaeologists also came across obsidian fragments and pottery shards.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
In this add on, a meteor lands on a volcanic island and so Kirby is left collecting shards of a shattered crystal and preventing an eerie presence from inside the rock from escaping.
—Joshua Lamb, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The reader bobs along in the author’s stream of consciousness, riding crests of despair, anger, and hilarity as Toews assembles the shards of her past to investigate her will to write, which is deeply entwined with her will to live.
—Kristen Martin, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2025
More elaborate approaches might involve steel plates to help absorb the shock of an explosion or keep concrete shards from flying off the walls and damaging equipment or injuring personnel.
—Samuel Granados, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
But remnants of data can be retrieved even from shards, so smelting shredded equipment is a final step that customers might prefer — although that process is criticized for emitting toxic fumes.
—Bob Woods, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shards
Noun
-
The token slivers of human-interest drama (a divorce battle, a visit to the pediatrician) that are meant to counterpoint the possibility of Armageddon with the oh-so-ironic triviality of quotidian concerns.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
2 Sep. 2025
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The suit sharpens political and regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s AI design choices, may pry open slivers of discovery that inform the DOJ’s case, and could even spur Apple to codify more explicit user choice.—
Anisha Sircar,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Archaeologists have found bone fragments, arrowheads, and even the calcified remains of a young girl in a section called Skeleton’s Gorge—evidence that Native Americans may have used the caverns as far back as 500 years ago.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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The few companies that received medicinal licenses were left with fragments of the legal whiskey that remained, and the individuals allowed to distribute had plenty of new protocols to follow.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This area of open magnetic fields more easily releases charged particles into space.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
It is composed of smaller particles called quarks and gluons, bound by the strong interaction.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After a few days’ travel, some of the specks landed on a buoy floating in the North Atlantic off the coast of French Guyana.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Now for other people whose crepe myrtles look like yours, black bark and white specks are classic signs of crepe myrtle scales.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Its black and white or brown flecks convey a fresh, modern feel that's ideal for breaking away from the tyranny of basics.—
María Munsuri,
Glamour,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Although other pests cause similar damage, thrips damage is often associate with numerous small flecks of dark green to black fecal matter.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Almost certainly out this week also is injured receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder), who provided most of the scant glimmers of hope in the Super Bowl with eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
-
There were glimmers of the magnificent past at the 2024 French Open against Iga Swiatek when Osaka won the second set 6-1 and was within a point of going 5-1 up in the decider.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The water-resistant outer material guards your essentials against splashes, while elastic straps and multiple pockets help keep your bottles upright.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Sep. 2025
-
And the American redstart — a jetblack little fellow with orange splashes — pretty much stopped breeding here in the early 2000s.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Available in four natural-looking shades that are neither too red nor too gray, this whisper-soft powder offers a foolproof way to accentuate your arches and create the illusion of fullness without the reality of smudges or streaks.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Create cut leather acorns in neutral shades and string them up with thick twine or ribbon.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shards. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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