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
The approach was ingenious: extract fragments of DNA circulating in the bloodstream—the same shards first glimpsed by Mandel and Métais nearly seven decades earlier—and sequence them to identify abnormalities in the regulation of gene expression that are indicative of cancer.
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Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
Scattered throughout were formidable shards of dark chocolate that pleasantly contrasted the creamy base and balanced mint flavor.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 July 2025
The creator started digging as a teen, when a best friend from school would bring in Throbbing Gristle CDs, which inspired them to hunt for obscure sonic shards to offer in return.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 23 July 2025
The storm blew out the main buildings’ bayfront windows and the corporate offices within, strewing the property with office furnishings, ducts, shards of metal and other building parts.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shard
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shard
Noun
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For some Jewish Democrats, there’s a sliver of hope that opening a conversation might lead to change.—
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That leaves second-year back Watson and Tyler Badie trying to attach themselves to some sliver of space on the roster.—
Noun
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People may be breathing in about 100 times more of these tiny fragments than past estimates indicated — from sources based both outside and indoors, including in homes and cars, researchers revealed in a new study, published on Wednesday in PLOS One.—
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These viral fragments end up in wastewater, which can serve as an early indicator of disease trends.—
Noun
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Homes, cars and other materials go up in flames, too, adding potentially harmful particles to the pollution load.—
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Wildfire smoke falls under the category of pollutants known as PM2.5, which describes particles in the air smaller than 2.5 microns.—
Noun
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The threatening hunk of rock appears as just a speck of light through even the strongest astronomical tools.—
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Using data from ground and space telescopes, the researchers were able to pinpoint the moment when the first specks of planet-forming material began to coalesce around the protostar.—
Noun
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Despite the serious nature of the diagnosis, Ospreay offered a glimmer of hope.—
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In the past year, there was a little glimmer of recovery: Earnings were up about 22% on a 2.7% revenue increase.—
Noun
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Families love the waterfront splash pad, playground, and great lawn where kids can run around to their heart’s content.—
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Their biggest splash was trading for wide receiver Deebo Samuel from the San Francisco 49ers.—
Noun
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Unlike formulas packed with visible flecks of glitter, this one is completely sparkle-free.—
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In any case, there are sure to be at least a few flecks of moss or lichen, gray or gray-green, on that side.—
Noun
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Lamb noodle soup at Chen’s Noodle House The shreds of lamb bring a gentle gaminess to the surprisingly subtle broth that George Chen packs with wide, floppy, hand-cut noodles at his tiny restaurant.—
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To prevent the shreds from clumping, anti-caking agents like cellulose (a plant fiber made from wood pulp) and potato starch are often added, which can steal moisture from the cheese, affecting its texture.—
Cite this Entry
“Shard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shard. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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