fragment

1 of 2

noun

frag·​ment ˈfrag-mənt 

: a part broken off, detached, or incomplete

The dish lay in fragments on the floor.

fragment

2 of 2

verb

frag·​ment ˈfrag-ˌment 

fragmented; fragmenting; fragments

intransitive verb

: to fall to pieces

transitive verb

: to break up or apart into fragments

Synonyms

Noun

• bit
• fraction
• piece
• scrap

Verb

• break
• break up
• bust
• disintegrate
• dismember
• disrupt
• fracture
• rive

Choose the Right Synonym for fragment

part, portion, piece, member, division, section, segment, fragment mean something less than the whole.

part is a general term appropriate when indefiniteness is required.

they ran only part of the way

portion implies an assigned or allotted part.

cut the pie into six portions

piece applies to a separate or detached part of a whole.

a puzzle with 500 pieces

member suggests one of the functional units composing a body.

a structural member

division applies to a large or diversified part.

the manufacturing division of the company

section applies to a relatively small or uniform part.

the entertainment section of the newspaper

segment applies to a part separated or marked out by or as if by natural lines of cleavage.

the retired segment of the population

fragment applies to a part produced by or as if by breaking off.

only a fragment of the play still exists

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

Noun

Cell wall fragments: Pieces of bacterial cell walls. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 20 Oct. 2024

These pieces collide with each other, in turn, which can sometimes knock the fragments onto a course toward Earth. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2024

Verb

Infrastructure that fragments river systems, such as dams, is one of the leading threats to freshwater species, particularly migratory fish such as the Danube salmon. —Jeff Opperman, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

In practice, data on styles, trends, and consumer behavior is often inconsistent or fragmented across sources like online platforms, social media, and in-store interactions. —Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Latin fragmentum, from frag-, variant stem of frangere "to break, shatter" + -mentum -ment — more at break entry 1

Verb

derivative of fragment entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1818, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing fragment

• restriction fragment length polymorphism
• sentence fragment
• sub-fragment

Kids Definition

fragment

noun

frag·​ment

ˈfrag-mənt

1

: a part that is broken off or incomplete

2

: sentence fragment

fragment

-ˌment

verb

Medical Definition

fragment

noun

frag·​ment ˈfrag-mənt 

: a part broken off or detached