fragment
gb/fɹˈæɡmənt/ us/fɹˈæɡmənt/
B2
English
~ 7000
töredék, darabka, szilánk, foszlány, részlet, mondattöredék, darabokra törik, darabokra tör, széttöredezik, szétapróz, kisebb csoportokra bomlik, szétaprózódik, adatfragmentum, adattöredék
NOUN
B2
1
Usage pattern:
a fragment of [something]
The dentist removed a tiny fragment of bone from his gum.
A fogorvos eltávolított egy apró csontdarabot az ínyéből.
Shards and fragments of glass covered the kitchen floor after the window broke.
Miután betört az ablak, üvegszilánkok és üvegdarabok borították a konyha padlóját.
Archaeologists found a fragment of pottery buried near the river.
A metal fragment was lodged in the car door after the crash.
She kept a fragment of the broken plate as a reminder.
Learner examples
There are small fragments of glass on the table.
Apró üvegdarabok vannak az asztalon.
The doctor took out a bone fragment from his leg.
Az orvos kivett egy csontdarabot a lábából.
I found a fragment of a cup on the ground.
They picked up every fragment of the broken window.
Be careful; there are sharp fragments on the floor.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "fragment" when "piece" is more natural in everyday speech (e.g. saying "a fragment of cake" instead of "a piece of cake"). "Fragment" is more common for hard, often broken materials like glass, bone, metal, or stone, not for food portions.
Meaning
small broken piece of something solid
Collocations
glass fragments
|bone fragments
|a fragment of glass
|tiny fragments
|broken fragments
|fragments of metal
Synonyms
piece (Very general; does not always suggest that it was broken off, while "fragment" usually does.)
|
chip (Usually smaller and thinner, often from wood, stone, or paint.)
|
shard (Most often used for broken glass or pottery, and can sound slightly more literary.)
Antonyms
whole (Refers to the complete object before it was broken into fragments.)
|
intact (Emphasizes that something has not been broken or damaged into pieces.)
Themes
objects
|daily_life
|science
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small piece that has broken off from something hard, like glass, bone, or metal.
A small part that has been broken off a larger solid object.
NOUN
B2
2
Usage pattern:
a fragment of [speech/text/music/memory]
I could only remember fragments of our conversation the next day.
Másnap már csak foszlányokra emlékeztem a beszélgetésünkből.
The letter was damaged, and only a fragment of the final page was readable.
A levél megsérült, és csak az utolsó oldal egy töredéke volt olvasható.
The song is lost, but a short fragment of the melody survives in another piece.
She woke up with only a fragment of her dream still in her mind.
The novel was reconstructed from fragments of the original manuscript.
Learner examples
I remember only small fragments of my childhood.
Csak apró foszlányokra emlékszem a gyerekkoromból.
We read a fragment of the story in class.
Az órán elolvastunk egy részletet a történetből.
The audio was bad, so I heard only fragments of what he said.
Researchers found a fragment of an old text.
He could see a clear fragment of the movie in his mind.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with "quote" or "excerpt". A "fragment" suggests something incomplete or damaged, while an "excerpt" or "quote" is usually a chosen, useful part taken on purpose.
Meaning
small incomplete part of something abstract
Collocations
fragment of a sentence
|fragments of conversation
|a fragment of a poem
|fragments of memory
|a fragment of a dream
|only fragments remain
Synonyms
snippet (Informal; often used for small parts of text, conversation, or code, and sounds lighter or more casual than "fragment".)
|
scrap (Can sound more informal and may suggest something left over or not very valuable.)
|
excerpt (More formal and usually neutral or positive; used for a chosen part of a text or performance, not necessarily incomplete by accident.)
Antonyms
whole (Refers to the complete work or experience, not just a small part.)
|
complete text (Highlights that nothing is missing, unlike a fragment where parts are missing.)
Themes
language
|arts
|communication
|psychology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small part of something you cannot touch, like words, music, or a memory, that is not complete.
A small, incomplete part of something non-physical, such as speech, text, music, or a memory.
NOUN
B2
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
a sentence fragment
Your first paragraph contains several sentence fragments that need to be rewritten.
Az első bekezdésedben több mondattöredék is van, ezeket át kell írni.
Teachers often underline fragments in students' essays with a different color.
A tanárok gyakran más színnel húzzák alá a mondattöredékeket a diákok fogalmazásaiban.
"Because I was tired" is a common type of sentence fragment.
The editor asked her to fix all the fragments before submitting the article.
Online grammar tools can help you spot sentence fragments in your writing.
Learner examples
The teacher said my sentence is a fragment.
A tanár azt mondta, hogy a mondatom mondattöredék.
"When I was young" is a sentence fragment.
Az „Amikor fiatal voltam” mondattöredék.
Please change this fragment into a full sentence.
I need to check my essay for sentence fragments.
This fragment does not have a verb. It is not a full sentence.
Common mistake:
Learners may think that any short sentence is a fragment. However, a fragment is not about length; it is about missing a necessary part (like a subject or main verb). A very short sentence like "Stop!" is complete, not a fragment.
Meaning
incomplete group of words (grammar)
Collocations
sentence fragment
|identify fragments
|fix sentence fragments
|run-on sentences and fragments
|avoid fragments
Synonyms
incomplete sentence (More learner-friendly and explicit; often used in teaching before introducing the term "fragment".)
Antonyms
complete sentence (Has a subject and a main verb and expresses a full idea, unlike a fragment.)
Themes
language
|education
|communication
Definition
A group of words that looks like a sentence but is not complete, usually because it has no subject or no main verb.
In grammar, a group of words that is punctuated like a sentence but does not form a complete sentence because it is missing a main part, such as a subject or a main verb.
VERB
C1
4
Usage pattern:
to fragment [something]; to fragment into [pieces]
The impact caused the windshield to fragment into thousands of tiny pieces.
Az ütközés hatására a szélvédő több ezer apró darabra tört.
Some bullets are designed to fragment on impact to reduce the risk of ricochet.
Egyes lövedékeket úgy terveznek, hogy becsapódáskor szilánkokra törjenek, így csökkentve a visszapattanás kockázatát.
Over many years, the rock slowly fragmented under the pressure of ice and water.
The sculpture fragmented when it fell from the shelf.
This type of safety glass is made to fragment rather than form large sharp shards.
Learner examples
The rock will slowly fragment in the rain and wind.
A kő az esőben és a szélben lassan széttöredezik.
The glass hit the floor and fragmented into small pieces.
Az üveg a padlóra esett, és apró darabokra tört.
The bomb caused the wall to fragment.
Old bones can fragment when they are moved.
The material is weak and will fragment easily.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "fragment" as a verb when "break" or "break up" sounds more natural in everyday conversation. "Fragment" is more formal and often used in technical, scientific, or written contexts.
Meaning
break something into small pieces
Collocations
fragment into pieces
|rock fragments over time
|bullets that fragment
|to fragment the material
|glass that fragments easily
Synonyms
shatter (Suggests breaking suddenly into many small, sharp pieces, often with noise, especially glass or hard objects.)
|
break up (More general and informal; used for many things, from physical objects to events or relationships.)
Antonyms
join (Means to connect pieces together, the opposite of breaking them apart.)
|
unify (To make parts into a single whole rather than breaking them into fragments.)
Themes
actions
|violence
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To break, or make something break, into small pieces.
To break or cause something to break into small, separate pieces.
VERB
C1
5
Usage pattern:
to fragment [group/system/market]; [group] fragments into [parts]
Social media has fragmented the television audience into many small niche groups.
A közösségi média sok kis, speciális érdeklődésű csoportra aprózta szét a televíziós közönséget.
The company worries that launching too many products will fragment its brand identity.
A vállalat attól tart, hogy túl sok termék bevezetése szétaprózza a márkaidentitását.
Over time, the coalition fragmented into competing factions.
The music market has fragmented, with listeners spread across many streaming platforms.
Our attention is increasingly fragmented by constant notifications and messages.
Learner examples
The internet can fragment the audience for news.
Az internet szétaprózhatja a hírek közönségét.
The big party started to fragment into smaller groups.
A nagy párt kezdett kisebb csoportokra bomlani.
Many new apps fragment users' attention.
Civil war can fragment a country into different regions.
Too many small tasks fragment my day and make it hard to focus.
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse "separate" or "split" and not realize that "fragment" often suggests many small, scattered parts and sometimes a loss of unity or power.
Meaning
divide or split into groups
Collocations
fragment the market
|society is fragmenting
|a fragmented audience
|political parties fragment
|fragmented attention
|media landscape fragments
Synonyms
split (More common in everyday speech; can be physical or social, and may sound less formal than "fragment".)
|
divide (Very general; does not always suggest small, scattered parts the way "fragment" often does.)
|
disintegrate (Stronger; suggests falling apart completely or chaotically, not just dividing.)
Antonyms
unify (To bring separate groups together into one, the opposite of fragmenting them.)
|
consolidate (To bring parts together to make them stronger and more central, opposite of splitting into smaller parts.)
Themes
society
|business
|politics
|technology
|work
Definition
To make a group, system, or market split into smaller parts that are less connected.
To break something, especially an organization, system, or audience, into smaller, separate, and less connected parts.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
6
adattöredék
C1
Usage pattern:
a fragment of [a packet/file]; data fragments
The router dropped several packet fragments during the transmission.
Az útválasztó az átvitel során több csomagfragmentumot eldobott.
The file system stores the video in multiple fragments across the disk.
A fájlrendszer a videót több fragmentumban, a lemez különböző részein tárolja.
The protocol requires all fragments to arrive before the message can be reassembled.
If too many small fragments build up in memory, performance may suffer.
The firewall is configured to block oversized IP fragments.
Learner examples
The message was split into many small fragments before it was sent.
Az üzenetet elküldés előtt sok kis adattöredékre osztották.
The computer joins all the fragments to make the full file again.
A számítógép az összes töredéket összeilleszti, hogy újra létrejöjjön a teljes fájl.
If fragments are lost, the data is not complete.
Too many small fragments on the disk can slow the system.
The program reads each fragment and then rebuilds the picture.
Common mistake:
Learners may think "fragment" in computing is completely different from the everyday meaning, but it still means a small part of a larger whole. The technical meaning depends heavily on the specific technology (network packets, files, memory).
Meaning
separated part of digital data
Collocations
IP fragments
|packet fragments
|data fragments
|memory fragments
|reassembling fragments
|fragment offset
Synonyms
segment (Often used more broadly in computing and does not always suggest that something was broken up by force or limitation, as "fragment" can.)
Antonyms
whole packet (Refers to an undivided data unit, unlike a fragment that is only part of it.)
|
contiguous block (In memory or storage, data stored in one continuous area rather than as separated fragments.)
Themes
technology
|computing
Definition
In computers, one small part of data or memory that is part of a bigger file or message and is sent or stored on its own.
In computing and networking, a portion of data or memory that represents part of a larger whole and is stored or transmitted separately.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fragment
IPA
GB/fɹˈæɡmənt/
US/fɹˈæɡmənt/
Syllables & stress
frag - ment (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (frag)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fragment
- Plural: fragments
Verb
- Base: fragment
- 3rd Person Singular: fragments
- Present Participle: fragmenting
- Past: fragmented
Word family
Forms
fragments
noun
fragmenting
verb
fragmented
verb
Core family
fragmentation
noun C1
Related words
fragmentary
adjective
Expressions
bone fragment
1/bˈoʊn fɹˈæɡmənt/
fixed phrase
technical
small broken piece of bone
A small piece that has broken off from a bone.
Examples
- The X-ray showed a small bone fragment near the joint.
- Surgeons removed several bone fragments from his knee after the accident.
- Archaeologists identified a bone fragment as part of an ancient animal skeleton.
fragments of memory
1/fɹˈæɡmənts əv mˈɛmɚi/
fixed phrase
small incomplete pieces of memory
Small, not-complete memories of something that happened.
Examples
- He woke up with only fragments of memory from the night before.
- Trauma can leave people with scattered fragments of memory instead of a clear story.
- Over time, only fragments of memory remain from our early childhood.
in fragments
1/ˈɪn fɹˈæɡmənts/
fixed phrase
in many small broken pieces
Broken into many small pieces.
Examples
- After the explosion, the windows were in fragments on the ground.
- The vase lay in fragments at the bottom of the stairs.
- The ancient tablet was found in fragments and had to be carefully rebuilt.
sentence fragment
1/sˈɛntəns fɹˈæɡmənt/
fixed phrase
technical
an incomplete sentence in writing
A group of words that looks like a sentence in writing but is not complete, usually because it has no subject or no main verb.
Examples
- Your answer is not a full sentence; it is a sentence fragment.
- Teachers often ask students to underline each sentence fragment in their homework.
- The textbook gives several examples of common sentence fragments and how to fix them.