What does "shard" mean?
A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig.
Shard
/ʃaːd/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig.
- Grammar: shard is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fragment, a bit, abrade, atomize.
- Useful contrasts: solid chunks, assemble, centralize.
- Usage evidence: You can get injured from a shard of stained glass.
How to use "shard"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "shard" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "shard" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "shard" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "shard" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "shard" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fragment" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "shard", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A piece of broken glass or pottery, especially one found in an archaeological dig.
"You know there is something fascinating beyond that wall because someone's tried to stop you seeing over, and there are shards of glass embedded in the top."
- 2 The plant chard. uncountable
"Not Heathpout, or the rarer Bird, Which Phasis, or Ionia yields, More pleasing Morsels would afford Than the fat Olives of my Fields; Than Shards or Mallows for the Pot, That keep the loosen’d Body sound, Or than the Lamb that falls by Lot, To the just Guardian of my Ground."
- 3 a broken piece of a brittle artifact wordnet
- 4 A piece of material, especially rock and similar materials, reminding of a broken piece of glass or pottery. broadly
"2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text Inside its exhibit hall, behind panes of glass, in a white-lit lab, a team of restorers works on an ancient Byzantine floor: 44 square yards of stone shards rescued from Lot’s Cave Monastery."
- 5 A tough scale, sheath, or shell; especially an elytron of a beetle.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An instance of an MMORPG that is one of several independent and structurally identical virtual worlds, none of which has so many players as to exhaust a system's resources. Internet
"1997, Ultima Online. The term "shard" is related to the backstory of the game, in which the Gem of Immortality is shattered by the Stranger, the protagonist of Ultima I. "The planet was still bound to the jewel's magic, even as it lay shattered upon the floor of Mondain's castle. For, within each shattered remnant of the jewel, dwelled a perfect likeness of Sosaria. Thus is the world in which you are born, live, and die. Brittania, that was once Sosaria, now exists as a thousand worlds, each with its own peoples, history and destiny. This Brittania is but one of many in the multiverse that is... ...ULTIMA ONLINE." - Intro cinematic to the game, written by Michael Morlan https://web.archive.org/web/20080706122926/http://michael-morlan.net/pages/production/prod_uo.htm"
- 7 A component of a sharded distributed database.
- 8 A piece of crystal methamphetamine. in-plural, singular, slang
Verb
- 1 To fall apart into shards, usually as the result of impact or explosion. intransitive
- 2 To break (something) into shards. transitive
- 3 To divide (an MMORPG) into several shards, or to establish a shard of one. Internet, transitive
Antonyms
Example
"You can get injured from a shard of stained glass."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "shard"?
Common synonyms include: fragment, a bit, abrade, atomize, beat, bit.
How do you use "shard" in a sentence?
You can get injured from a shard of stained glass.
How do you pronounce "shard"?
Pronounced /ʃaːd/.
Etymology
From Middle English shard, scherd, scheard, schord, from Old English sċeard (“a broken piece; shard”), from Proto-West Germanic *skard, from Proto-Germanic *skardą (“notch; nick”), from *skardaz (“damaged; nicked; scarred”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”). Akin to Scots schaird (“shard”), French écharde (“splinter”), Dutch schaarde (“tear; notch; fragment”), German Scharte (“notch”), Old Norse skarð (“notch, hack”) ( > Danish skår). The database sense is perhaps derived from the online gaming sense or from SHARD (System for Highly Available Replicated Data), name of a 1980s database product.