splinters

/ˈsplɪntərz/
noun
  1. Small, thin, sharp pieces of wood, glass, or other material that have broken off from a larger object.
    • She carefully removed the glass splinters from her hand with tweezers.
    • I got a splinter in my finger while building the birdhouse.
    • The old wooden floor was covered in tiny splinters.
verb
  1. To break or cause to break into small, thin, sharp pieces.
    • Be careful not to splinter the board when you saw it.
    • The impact of the car crash splintered the windshield into a thousand pieces.
    • The dry wood splinters easily when you hit it with a hammer.
  2. To divide or break apart into smaller groups or factions, especially in a political or organizational context.
    • The committee splintered after failing to reach a consensus.
    • The once-unified movement splintered into several competing groups.
    • The political party began to splinter over disagreements about the new policy.
Antonyms