fragment 1 of 2

verb

ˈfrag-ˌment How to pronounce fragment (audio)
Definition of fragmentnext
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly you can fragment that peanut brittle easily, but how it breaks is basically up to the brittle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

fragment

2 of 2

noun

ˈfrag-mənt How to pronounce fragment (audio)
as in piece
a broken or irregular part of something that often remains incomplete charred fragments of the exploded rocket were scattered over a huge area of ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fragment distinct from other similar nouns?

Some common synonyms of fragment are division, member, part, piece, portion, section, and segment. While all these words mean "something less than the whole," fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

When would division be a good substitute for fragment?

The meanings of division and fragment largely overlap; however, division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

When is it sensible to use member instead of fragment?

While the synonyms member and fragment are close in meaning, member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

Where would part be a reasonable alternative to fragment?

The words part and fragment are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

When can piece be used instead of fragment?

In some situations, the words piece and fragment are roughly equivalent. However, piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

When could portion be used to replace fragment?

Although the words portion and fragment have much in common, portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

When is section a more appropriate choice than fragment?

The synonyms section and fragment are sometimes interchangeable, but section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

When might segment be a better fit than fragment?

While in some cases nearly identical to fragment, segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fragment
Verb
They are fragmented into groups formed around ideology, region, pet issues, cultural differences, common languages and personal vendettas. —Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 7 May 2025 That’s because prior to its 1861 unification, the Italian peninsula was fragmented into several kingdoms, duchies, and city-states, each with its landscape, culture, food, and grapes. —Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
Photos show the dig process and a military harness fragment uncovered at the site. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025 Two years later, however, he was faced with many more questions when police unearthed thousands of human bones and bone fragments at the Indiana estate. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for fragment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fragment
  1. disrupt
  2. piece
  3. fracture
  4. fraction
  5. break
  6. bit
  7. disintegrate
  8. scrap
Verb
  • The earthquake disrupted the World Series and damaged the Bay Bridge, Oakland’s Cypress Freeway, and swaths of San Francisco.
    — Terry Collins, USA Today, 8 June 2025
  • The strict licensing system has significantly disrupted the global supplies of these materials and triggered production turmoil across industries in America and Europe, raising alarms among officials and businesses alike.
    — Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 7 June 2025
Definition of disrupt
Noun
  • Mazzoli created a lush score that was alternately sweeping or intimate, sensuous or mystical, yet with a distinctive sound that was her own weaving a thread through the piece.
    — Janelle Gelfand, Cincinnati.com, 19 July 2017
  • This is why the war stories of Tom Clancy are such convincing and moving pieces of fiction.
    — Janine Barchas, Washington Post, 18 July 2017
Definition of piece
Verb
  • His left orbital bone and right cheekbone were also fractured, among other injuries.
    — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2025
  • Meanwhile, the civil-rights movement split the Democratic coalition—its Southern wing peeled off, never to return—and Vietnam fractured the liberals.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
Definition of fracture
Noun
  • His country remains one of the poorest in Asia: a quarter of the population lives near the subsistence level, foreign trade is minimal, and its GDP is a small fraction of South Korea’s.
    — John Delury, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
  • Meanwhile, all public agricultural research and development focused on the climate in the U.S. is a fraction of Apple’s R&D, as if farming weren’t nearly as important as a better iPhone camera.
    — Michael Grunwald, The Atlantic, 3 June 2025
Definition of fraction
Verb
  • But the Marlins roared back in the fifth and seemed to break the game open with a six-run outburst that ended Taj Bradley’s afternoon and also roughed up reliever Mason Montgomery.
    — Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
  • Officials there determined the residents had not intended to break the law and no crime was committed.
    — Mark Thiessen, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Definition of break
Noun
  • Not only is sitting on the potty all by yourself a little bit scary, but nobody likes putting play to a stop to use the potty, either.
    — Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 6 June 2025
  • The actors at times seem to be speed-reading their lines, rushing through the notoriously long play to get to the good bits.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
Definition of bit
Verb
  • Guinness noted that the actor had to jump out of a helicopter from a minimum height of 7,500 feet — sometimes while wearing a 50-pound camera rig — and that the parachute could only burn for about three seconds before completely disintegrating, forcing Cruise to deploy a backup chute.
    — Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 5 June 2025
  • Instead the vehicle spun out of control and disintegrated during atmospheric reentry.
    — Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 28 May 2025
Definition of disintegrate
Noun
  • In 2018, inspired by this culture of bricolage, curator Danni Friedman and designer Jean Lee gathered a group of designers in Havana for a ten-day workshop, turning them loose in an old shipyard factory filled with clay, concrete mix, scrap metal, and assorted junk.
    — Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
  • Wang Cong Closing out the UFC 316 early prelims is a women’s flyweight scrap between Ariane da Silva (17-10) and Wang Cong (7-1).
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Definition of scrap

Browse Nearby Words

fragility
fragment
fragmental
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fragment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fragment. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.

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