Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense fragments, present participle fragmenting, past tense, past participle fragmentedpronunciation note: The noun is pronounced (frægmənt). The verb is pronounced (frægment).
1. countable noun
A fragmentof something is a small piece or part of it.
...fragments of metal in my shoulder. [+ of]
She read everything, digesting every fragment of news. [+ of]
...glass fragments.
Synonyms: piece, part, bit, scrap More Synonyms of fragment
2. verb
If something fragments or is fragmented, it breaks or separates into small pieces or parts.
The clouds fragmented and out came the sun. [VERB]
Fierce rivalries have traditionally fragmented the region. [VERB noun]
By the first century BC, Buddhism was in danger of fragmenting into small sects. [VERBinto noun]
fragmentation (frægmenteɪʃən)uncountable noun
...the extraordinary fragmentation of styles on the music scene. [+ of]
fragmentedgraded adjective
Europe had become infinitely more unstable and fragmented.
More Synonyms of fragment
fragment in British English
noun (ˈfræɡmənt)
1.
a piece broken off or detached
fragments of rock
2.
an incomplete piece; portion
fragments of a novel
3.
a scrap; morsel; bit
verb (fræɡˈmɛnt) also US: fragmentize (ˈfræɡmənˌtaɪz)
4.
to break or cause to break into fragments
Word origin
C15: from Latin fragmentum, from frangere to break
fragment in American English
(ˈfrægmənt; for v. also ˈfrægˌmɛnt; frægˈmɛnt)
noun
1.
a part broken away from a whole; broken piece
2.
a detached, isolated, or incomplete part
a fragment of a song
3.
the part that exists of a literary or other work left unfinished
verb transitive, verb intransitive
4.
to break into fragments; break up
SIMILAR WORDS: part
Derived forms
fragmented (ˈfragˌmented)
adjective
Word origin
ME < L fragmentum < frangere, break
fragment in Chemical Engineering
(frægmənt)
Word forms: (regular plural) fragments
noun
(Chemical Engineering: Process safety)
A fragment is a solid piece of something which has broken off from a structure, component, or vessel.
In the preliminary stages of rock crushing, the fragments are large and angular.
The clay particle is a fragment of the crushed rock with no particular crystalline form or shape.
A fragment is a solid piece of something which has broken off from a structure, component, orvessel.
Examples of 'fragment' in a sentence
fragment
A fragment of bone was found in a forest miles from a supposed burial site.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A nearby dig in 2012 discovered 481 bone fragments but none were human.
The Sun (2016)
The book is significant partly because it preserves fragments of many ancient works that are otherwise lost.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
Only tiny fragments of it are heath or ancient woodland.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Where it had stood were just a few fragments of glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Yet some try hard for a small fragment of immortality.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At times it looked a bit fragmented and a struggle for us defensively.
The Sun (2016)
The bone fragment still preserves features of the brain that it once encased.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
Fragments of glass had cut my arms.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The programme is filled with archaeologists getting excited by small fragments of shell and bone.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Initial results showed fragments of loose bone around the ankle.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It is perhaps sad that so many families fragment in times of grief instead of finding strength together.
Knowles, Jane Know Your Own Mind (1991)
The club has become a bit fragmented and we're fragile at the moment.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The technology is available to piece together the fragments, at least in part.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The narrative is pieced together in fragments, often very short.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Because of this the fragments have become mixed up, which is why the work has taken so long.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
fragment
British English: fragment NOUN
A fragment of something is a small piece or part of it.
The only reminder of the shooting is a few fragments of metal in my shoulder.
American English: fragment
Brazilian Portuguese: fragmento
Chinese: 碎片
European Spanish: fragmento
French: fragment
German: Stück
Italian: frammento
Japanese: 破片
Korean: 조각
European Portuguese: fragmento
Latin American Spanish: fragmento
Chinese translation of 'fragment'
fragment
(nˈfræɡmənt; vbfræɡˈmɛnt)
n(c)
[of bone, glass etc]碎片 (suìpiàn)
[of conversation, poem etc]片断(斷) (piànduàn)
vi
(lit) 裂成碎片 (lièchéng suìpiàn)
(fig) 分裂 (fēnliè)
vt
分裂 (fēnliè)
(noun)
Definition
an incomplete piece
She read everything, digesting every fragment of news.
Synonyms
piece
a piece of wood
Another piece of cake?
part
A large part of his earnings went on repaying the bank loan.
bit
a bit of cake
scrap
a fire fuelled by scraps of wood
particle
Particles of food can get stuck between the teeth.
portion
I have spent a large portion of my life here.
fraction
shiver (archaic, literary)
shred
Cut the cabbage into fine long shreds.
remnant
the remnants of Roman flooring
speck
He leaned forward and brushed a speck of dust off his shoes.
sliver
A sliver of glass was embedded in the skin.
wisp
She smoothed away a wisp of hair from her eyes.
morsel
a delicious little morsel of meat
oddment
a blanket crocheted from oddments of wool
chip
His eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass.
1 (verb)
Definition
to break into small pieces or different parts
It's an exploded fracture – the bones have fragmented.
Synonyms
break
He fell through the window, breaking the glass.
split
In a severe gale the ship split in two.
shatter
Safety glass won't shatter if it's broken.
crumble
shiver (archaic, literary)
disintegrate
At 420 mph the windscreen disintegrated.
splinter
The ruler cracked and splintered into pieces.
come apart
The whole thing just came apart in my hands.
break into pieces
come to pieces
Opposites
link
,
marry
,
bond
, combine, compound,
merge
,
unify
,
fuse
,
synthesize
,
join together
2 (verb)
Definition
to break into small pieces or different parts
Their country's government has fragmented into disarray.
Synonyms
break up
The crowd broke up reluctantly.
divide
She has done more to divide the group than anyone else.
split up
I was beginning to think that we would never split up.
disunite
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bit
Definition
a small piece, portion, or quantity
a bit of cake
Synonyms
slice,
segment,
fragment,
crumb,
mouthful,
small piece,
morsel,
chip,
grain,
speck,
atom,
mite
in the sense of chip
Definition
a small piece removed by chopping, cutting, or breaking
His eyes gleamed like chips of blue glass.
Synonyms
fragment,
scrap,
shaving,
flake,
paring,
wafer,
sliver,
shard
in the sense of come apart
The whole thing just came apart in my hands.
Synonyms
fall to pieces,
break,
separate,
tear,
split,
crumble,
give way,
fall apart,
disintegrate
Synonyms of 'fragment'
fragment
Explore 'fragment' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of shatter
Definition
to break suddenly into many small pieces
Safety glass won't shatter if it's broken.
Synonyms
smash,
break,
burst,
split,
crack,
crush,
explode,
demolish,
shiver (archaic, literary),
implode,
pulverize,
crush to smithereens
in the sense of shred
Definition
a long narrow piece torn off something
Cut the cabbage into fine long shreds.
Synonyms
strip,
bit,
piece,
scrap,
fragment,
rag,
ribbon,
snippet,
sliver,
tatter
in the sense of sliver
Definition
a small thin piece that is cut or broken off lengthwise
A sliver of glass was embedded in the skin.
Synonyms
shred,
fragment,
splinter,
slip,
shaving,
flake,
paring
in the sense of speck
Definition
a small or tiny piece of something
He leaned forward and brushed a speck of dust off his shoes.
Synonyms
particle,
bit,
grain,
dot,
atom,
shred,
mite,
jot,
modicum,
whit,
tittle,
iota
in the sense of splinter
Definition
to break or be broken into small sharp fragments
The ruler cracked and splintered into pieces.
Synonyms
shatter,
split,
fracture,
shiver (archaic, literary),
disintegrate,
break into fragments,
smash into smithereens
in the sense of split
Definition
to break or cause (something) to break into separate pieces
In a severe gale the ship split in two.
Synonyms
break,
crack,
burst,
snap,
break up,
open,
give way,
splinter,
gape,
come apart,
come undone
in the sense of split up
Definition
(of a group of people) to go off in different directions
I was beginning to think that we would never split up.