frag·ment
ˈfrag-mənt 
: a part broken off, detached, or incomplete
The dish lay in fragments on the floor.
frag·ment
ˈfrag-ˌment
fragmented; fragmenting; fragments
: to fall to pieces
: to break up or apart into fragments
Synonyms
Examples of fragment in a Sentence
Noun
The dish lay in fragments on the floor.
I could only hear fragments of their conversation.
Verb
The party is fragmenting into warring factions.
These issues are fragmenting our society.
property being fragmented into subdivisions
Recent Examples on the Web
Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Doctors were reportedly unable to remove some of the bullet fragments from his face, and a bone near his eye was also broken.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Similarly, sharing a DNA fragment with any one out of your millions of medieval genealogical ancestors does not mean any special relationship – beyond sharing a DNA fragment.
—Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
Some ran out with computers, while others threw bags of clothes out of windows onto the street, which was also still littered with broken glass and cement fragments from the quake.
—Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
During the peeling process, dipping the eggs in a bowl of water can not only help speed up the peeling process but also rinse shell fragments off of your egg.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists took the bundle, made from old clothes, and found a fragment of a marble carving inside, the museum said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Microscopic fragments of volcanic glass found alongside stone tools and animal remains near Ethiopia’s Shinfa River showed how humans survived — and adapted — after the eruption.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Stellantis has recalled thousands of Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 cars because of a manufacturing defect that could cause airbags to rupture unexpectedly, resulting in metal fragments flying out, potentially killing passengers.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Moreover, consolidation entails more than simply offering an interface where users can search various applications within a single interface while data is still fragmented.
—Amit Verma, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Maryland’s biotech landscape is fragmented with significant activities in Montgomery and Frederick counties and, of course, Baltimore.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
What’s the reasoning behind buying these entities at a time when so much media is fragmenting?
—Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
Formed by a lava flow that eventually cooled, hardened, and fragmented from waves repeatedly cascading over it, this black sand offers a striking color contrast from the lush green tropical forest that meets the shoreline.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024
The streaming services have fragmented content ownership to a dizzying degree, so some degree of consolidation seems inevitable.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
The Warsaw Pact disbanded (its members largely joining NATO) and the USSR fragmented.
—John R. Bolton, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
The result of these generations-old alliances is a U.S. system fragmented into about a dozen regions with limited connectivity between them.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
The recent excavations revealed numerous artifacts—including pottery, two bone combs and fragments of glass from a drinking vessel—dating to this period.
—Aaron Boorstein, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Doctors were reportedly unable to remove some of the bullet fragments from his face, and a bone near his eye was also broken.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Similarly, sharing a DNA fragment with any one out of your millions of medieval genealogical ancestors does not mean any special relationship – beyond sharing a DNA fragment.
—Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
Some ran out with computers, while others threw bags of clothes out of windows onto the street, which was also still littered with broken glass and cement fragments from the quake.
—Siyi Zhao Lam Yik Fei, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
During the peeling process, dipping the eggs in a bowl of water can not only help speed up the peeling process but also rinse shell fragments off of your egg.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists took the bundle, made from old clothes, and found a fragment of a marble carving inside, the museum said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024
Microscopic fragments of volcanic glass found alongside stone tools and animal remains near Ethiopia’s Shinfa River showed how humans survived — and adapted — after the eruption.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Stellantis has recalled thousands of Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 cars because of a manufacturing defect that could cause airbags to rupture unexpectedly, resulting in metal fragments flying out, potentially killing passengers.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
This finding provided a ray of hope for the bird’s conservation, as many of Singapore’s forested areas were already fragmented and degraded due to widespread urbanization.
—Anne Pinto-Rodrigues, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Moreover, consolidation entails more than simply offering an interface where users can search various applications within a single interface while data is still fragmented.
—Amit Verma, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Maryland’s biotech landscape is fragmented with significant activities in Montgomery and Frederick counties and, of course, Baltimore.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2024
What’s the reasoning behind buying these entities at a time when so much media is fragmenting?
—Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
Formed by a lava flow that eventually cooled, hardened, and fragmented from waves repeatedly cascading over it, this black sand offers a striking color contrast from the lush green tropical forest that meets the shoreline.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 20 Feb. 2024
The streaming services have fragmented content ownership to a dizzying degree, so some degree of consolidation seems inevitable.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
The Warsaw Pact disbanded (its members largely joining NATO) and the USSR fragmented.
—John R. Bolton, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024
The result of these generations-old alliances is a U.S. system fragmented into about a dozen regions with limited connectivity between them.
—IEEE Spectrum, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fragment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fragment
Cite this Entry
“Fragment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fragment. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fragment
noun
frag·ment
ˈfrag-mənt
: a part broken off or detached
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