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 plainclothes detectives, who were wearing NYPD vests, then dragged Brown on the floor, over shards of broken glass, to the front of the store, ordering him to stop resisting.
—
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Expect plenty of flying shards and other obstacles to make the free-for-all more frenetic.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Hussaini assembles the shards of her home city of Kabul into a mosaic, honoring its history, culture, and future.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
The actress said that one night, her daughter, Luca, 28, witnessed her shattering framed photos of herself and Abrams and then using the glass shards to self-harm.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
After sweeping up broken glass, tiny, almost-invisible shards often remain behind.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 11 Apr. 2026
Twenty-thousand-year-old shards of clay pots have been unearthed in China.
—Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
Cristobal’s arc can use a mite more variance overall, but her playing of Margot’s inner-torture from having to live with the literal shards of blood on her neck is effective.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Another video of the incident — posted on Reddit and taken in what appears to be the moments immediately following the collision — shows the robot slowly removing itself from the scene of the crash, shards of glass falling off its lid with each scooch.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Expect plenty of flying shards and other obstacles to make the free-for-all more frenetic.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Hussaini assembles the shards of her home city of Kabul into a mosaic, honoring its history, culture, and future.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
The actress said that one night, her daughter, Luca, 28, witnessed her shattering framed photos of herself and Abrams and then using the glass shards to self-harm.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
After sweeping up broken glass, tiny, almost-invisible shards often remain behind.
—Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 11 Apr. 2026
Twenty-thousand-year-old shards of clay pots have been unearthed in China.
—Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026
Cristobal’s arc can use a mite more variance overall, but her playing of Margot’s inner-torture from having to live with the literal shards of blood on her neck is effective.
—David John Chávez, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Another video of the incident — posted on Reddit and taken in what appears to be the moments immediately following the collision — shows the robot slowly removing itself from the scene of the crash, shards of glass falling off its lid with each scooch.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shards
Noun
-
Strong storms are also possible in northern Oklahoma, central Kansas and slivers of Arkansas and Missouri.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
How much America’s Culinary Cup relies on head-to-head cook-offs to send people home gives all those slivers of information a little more urgency, though.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The modern system of succession was designed to anticipate worst-case scenarios—but only in fragments.—
Vivian Salama,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Many Americans may not be familiar with microplastics, which are tiny fragments of plastic, often invisible to the human eye.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The rapid breakdown and spread of air particles can cause thunderstorm asthma.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Nanoplastics are the very smallest particles, about 1,000th the average width of a human hair, and are most likely to get inside the human body.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Featuring bolder, thicker spots at the top and more refined, micro specks down the skirt, this mini dress makes all-day, fashionable wear easier than ever.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Silvery or mottled patches on leaves, brown or distorted petal edges, dark specks (feces) or flower buds that fail to open are signs of thrips.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Its design, crafted by Russell Sage Studio, is meant to be an on-the-nose reflection of the distillery's famed product, with bronzy walls the color of its single malt, and a ceiling painted to look like barley, reflecting the morning dew with flecks of gold throughout.—
Alessandra Amodio,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Berber carpet Berber is a type of loop pile carpet with flecks of color.—
Faith Wakefield,
USA Today,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are no easy answers in education, but there are glimmers of hope.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
-
While the storm is looming, there are new glimmers of possibility—friends can become lovers, strangers can become friends on the subway, the supermarket aisles are charged with meaning.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some splashes of color help enliven it too.—
Adam Williams
April 23,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Naturally, the color palette revolves around a joyful, beachy vibe—all designed in shades of pink, citrus, and red, with splashes of leopard prints and snake textures.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Quaise is developing a drilling system that uses millimeter wave energy to melt and vaporize rock at extreme depths where conventional drill bits struggle with heat and pressure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Watching babies get blown to bits should do something to you.—
Adelle Platon,
VIBE.com,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shards. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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