as in sliver
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 shard
Scott Wedgewood finally came unglued and left Colorado’s chances of winning in shards on the ice.
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Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Oct. 2025
Splinters from the shotgun and metal shards from its trigger guard were found inside Barnes’ apartment — and linked back to the shotgun used in the murders.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Photos in the incident reports show the patrol car struck by shrapnel, and an officer holding the metal shards.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
For humans, crystalline buildups in the body manifest as excruciating shards in joints—a condition known as gout—or as kidney stones in the urinary tract.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shard
Noun
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Here, a sliver of orangey-red pops against a cool-toned ruby hue.—
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Like these forerunners, the pleasures of Knight’s A Thousand Blows, which premiered all six episodes of its second season on Hulu Friday, lies in looking back on that thin sliver of time, about 15 years ago, when anachronistic old-timey crime was in vogue.—
Noun
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Doctors were reportedly unable to remove some of the bullet fragments from his face, and a bone near his eye was also broken.—
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People from the Kansas City area who boarded the ship are highlighted on posters hanging on the walls next to artifacts like fragments of a first-class curtain, a door handle and a White Star Line envelope.—
Noun
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Yui's video kicked off with a dramatic display of zodiacal light, which formed as sunlight reflected off a cloud of interplanetary dust particles to form a column of light above the colorful arc of our Blue Marble.—
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The antenna that sends out the RF signal is made from zinc, and it is embedded into a cellulose particle, as per the release.—
Noun
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Their long, silvery-blue spiral arms are peppered with bright knots and specks, the telltale signposts of active, messy astrophysics in progress.—
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Pure black or white floors show every speck of dust.—
Noun
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That’s when Niue’s glimmer of a tourist season, which coincides with winter in the Southern Hemisphere, springs into high gear.—
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The good news, however, is that the agreement offers a glimmer of hope for users who want TikTok to stay for good.—
Noun
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Atlas is also built to withstand harsh conditions, operating reliably in temperatures from -4°F to 104°F, and is waterproofed to protect it from splashes on factory floors.—
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The first round of the International Tennis Federation’s W35 tournament, played on a clay court in Nairobi, Kenya, wouldn’t normally make much of a splash in the tennis world, but millions of people have now seen what transpired over 37 excruciating minutes in the capital.—
Noun
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López reportedly found flecks of gold while digging wild onions, sparking an early gold rush.—
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Shiny and dark evergreen foliage is held aloft on strong, arching stems mottled with purple flecks.—
Noun
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My search proved fruitful, so below you’ll find my top picks, including an air fryer that saves counterspace, a set of six dishcloths for $24, and a chopping gadget that also slices, grates, and shreds.—
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Shred It For Packaging Turn used wrapping paper into pretty paper shreds for future gifts.—
Cite this Entry
“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shard. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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