splinter

noun

1. 1

   A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood.

2. 2

   A long, sharp fragment of material, often wood. A small such fragment that gets embedded in the flesh.

3. 3

   A group that formed by splitting off from a larger membership.

4. 4

   A double-jump bid which indicates shortage in the bid suit.

5. 5

   A fragment of a component word in a blend.

verb

1. 1

   To come apart into long sharp fragments.

   The tall tree splintered during the storm.

   It was all coming at her now: the fatigue and the fever; pieces of her lung splintering and mixing with her throwup; the calcifications on her bones, where the disease had already spread.

2. 2

   To cause to break apart into long sharp fragments.

   His third kick splintered the door.

   After splintering their lances, they wheeled about, and […] abandoned the field to the enemy.

3. 3

   figurativeTo break, or cause to break, into factions.

   The government splintered when the coalition members could not agree.

   The unpopular new policies splintered the company.

4. 4

   To fasten or confine with splinters, or splints, as a broken limb.

   it will be very hard for Me to Splinter up the broken confuséd Pieces of it.

Forms

plural

splinters

past tense

splintered

past participle

splintered

present participle

splintering

third person singular

splinters