splinter group

American  

noun

1. a small organization that becomes separated from or acts apart from an original larger group or a number of other small groups, with which it would normally be united, as because of disagreement.

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splinter group British  

noun

1. a number of members of an organization, political party, etc, who split from the main body and form an independent association, usually as the result of dissension

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splinter group Idioms  

1. A part of an organization that breaks away from the main body, usually owing to disagreement. For example, Perot's supporters at first constituted a splinter group but soon formed a third political party. This idiom alludes to the noun splinter, a fragment of wood or some other material that is split or broken off. [Mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

Iswap is a splinter group of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has been waging an insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria for more than a decade.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2025

A splinter group, the Northeast cartel, was among those designated as a terrorist organization last month by the Trump administration.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025

One afternoon shortly after the vote, members of the splinter group gathered outside of San Francisco, hiking through the chaparrals of the San Bruno hills, and plotted what to do next.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 2024

Colombia’s government in October announced peace talks with the FARC-EMC splinter group after both sides agreed to a three-month long cease-fire.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2024

Initial reports tied Mr. Aziz to a terrorist splinter group, but the FBI now is now calling it a simple case of mistaken identity.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed