A piece broken off from a larger object, such as glass, pottery, bone, or debris. Often used in accident, disaster, or forensic contexts.
Shards of window glass were scattered on the floor.
After the explosion, metal fragments flew everywhere.
Shards of the vase were scattered on the floor.
Glass fragments flew through the air from the explosion.
A fragment got stuck in his foot and injured him.
I picked up the pieces of the broken plate and threw them away.