1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
tried to restore their shattered hopes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in to demolish
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in splinter
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shatter
Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
The family heard plates and glasses shatter — and then boots stomping up the stairs.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
At its current rate, the airport will shatter its prior annual record of nearly 5 million passengers set in 2024.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Verb
Sadly, the date is ruined when the restaurant’s glass floor shatters, some 40 stories above the ground.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
The family heard plates and glasses shatter — and then boots stomping up the stairs.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
Most sitcoms that cast celebrities to play themselves go the Thompson route, crafting a character that completely shatters the person’s public image.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
At its current rate, the airport will shatter its prior annual record of nearly 5 million passengers set in 2024.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
-
Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Shoplifting became a political lighting rod, and videos of thieves smashing store windows and grabbing merchandise rocketed across the news and social media as a symbol of a breakdown across cities.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The forward smashed a strike across the goalkeeper and into the top corner, before wheeling away in emotional celebration.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The brittle, eco-friendly bamboo straw is another concession to the community, as are the splinters.—
Joe Joyce,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The syntax of reason splinters by the hour.—
Alaa Alqaisi
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
-
If the city officially adds the structures to the dangerous buildings list, an inspector will issue orders to demolish them or repair them.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Did a Smurl sister really vomit bloody glass shards?—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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But there are also flashes of visual splendor, like tiny shards of some kind of exotic broken vase — fragments of what could have been.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The disaster is remembered not just for its winds, but for the crushing surge of water that devastated rural Louisiana parishes and tore through the heart of New Orleans.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The children were among the 27 campers and counselors who died at the Christian all-girls’ camp during the flooding that caused the Guadalupe River to rise to historic levels, devastating the Texas Hill Country.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Cleveland Browns blew both a golden opportunity at what would’ve been the surprise upset of Week 1 and a chance to add to the Cincinnati Bengals’ early-season misery of the past few years.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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