shatter 1 of 2

1
2
as in to smash
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive shattered the sealed clay pot to find out what was inside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

shatter

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shatter
Verb
Snow melts and ice shatters, but the formative memories of youth stay with you. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025 Constructed from shatter-resistant plastic with adhesive rubber feet to attach to the bottom, the drawers are suitable for organizing just about anything, including cosmetics, snacks, pet food and treats, trinkets, laundry essentials, index cards, and more. Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
In an instant, the ordinary rhythms of their lives — laughter, errands, the hum of home — were shattered. Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025 The earth-shattering events of the first trilogy have been all but forgotten, and the Magisterium looms as large as ever. Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
  • Almost every building is damaged or destroyed beyond repair.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
  • According to Craig Croucher of the Bot Builders, around 300 spectators turned out to watch the robots destroy each other.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Thieves scaled the facade of the Parisian museum in broad daylight Sunday, using a ladder boosted by a mechanical boom truck and forcing a window open, smashing display cases inside, and making off with a handful of priceless jewels, PEOPLE previously reported.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Officials said thieves extended a basket lift to a window and smashed it open with an angle grinder.
    Bonny Chu , Ronn Blitzer, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The revelation felt like a splinter that lodged itself in Kai’s heart.
    Johnny Dodd, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
  • There’s splinters on the floor.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Drummond's proposals to the court to sharply limit litter's use as fertilizer would amount to a ban on the practice in the river's watershed; this and the cost of removing all litter from the watershed would ruin poultry growers throughout the region, defendants argue.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2025
  • In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.
    Charlie Markbreiter, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • More recently, high-profile firms including Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Comcast, Google, Lockheed Martin and Meta Platforms have agreed to help finance the ballroom Trump plans for the White House after ordering the building’s East Wing to be demolished.
    Bill Barrow, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
  • To build the new housing, Arrow Street Development plans to demolish about a half-dozen buildings including multiple old single-family homes and commercial structures.
    Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In addition to the fortress itself, a number of artifacts were also unearthed, including pottery shards adorned with bright colors.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Out of the shards, a message Douglass continued studying how the Malagasy have interacted with and adapted to their changing environment and climate over time.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Then, heat waves in 2024 devastated some northern colonies that had demonstrated more resilience.
    Evan Bush, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
  • This happened when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina last year.
    Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Commanders blew a late-fourth-quarter lead and turned the ball over three times before losing to the Bears on a last-second field goal.
    Mike Jones, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Sloppy passes, stagnant offense, blown defensive assignments, poor decisions.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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