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
Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
Forty-eight days, 16 hours, 57 minutes and 12 seconds after a virus transforms humanity into a blissful symbiotic horde, one of its survivors, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), treats a rooftop as a personal driving range — the golf balls shattering a neighboring building’s windows.
—Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Joe Davidson
march 7, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026
The lid is made of shatter-resistant construction with a magnet that makes for easy opening and closing.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Verb
Renowned for his defense-shattering runs, vision, and dribbling, his time at FC Barcelona was legendary.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026
Forty-eight days, 16 hours, 57 minutes and 12 seconds after a virus transforms humanity into a blissful symbiotic horde, one of its survivors, Carol (Rhea Seehorn), treats a rooftop as a personal driving range — the golf balls shattering a neighboring building’s windows.
—Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Noun
Though the Big Sky Conference Tournament is officially listed as a neutral-site game, Sac State finished 0-17 away from Hornet Pavilion, Sac State’s new on-campus venue that helped the school shatter attendance records.
—Joe Davidson
march 7, Sacbee.com, 8 Mar. 2026
The lid is made of shatter-resistant construction with a magnet that makes for easy opening and closing.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
-
Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
-
But satellite images reviewed by CNN show how Iran has used simple equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks to counter those costly campaigns — suggesting that Tehran’s missile capabilities can’t be destroyed just by targeting tunnel entrances, experts said.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla smashed into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo, and Flanagan just happened to be along for the ride.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
-
Lackey, whose name has become synonymous with this all-time great Tech season, smashed a two-run homer that went 456 feet at 110 mph off the bat.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
But as the season neared the winter transfer window, the expectation was for Mainoo to leave on loan rather than continue to pick up splinters on the bench.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
Militant groups operating in northern Nigeria include Boko Haram and a splinter organization that broke away to affiliate with the Islamic State group.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
Undefeated this season on clay, the 15th-seeded Ukrainian player reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Two other properties were purchased in 2024, one of which was a barbershop that was demolished, and a third property was purchased in 2025.—
Delia Rose Sauer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Before filing plans to demolish the building within the next two weeks, Kennedy planned Thursday night’s event to honor the structure.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Thursday night’s detonation of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during a static-fire test produced a spectacular fireball over Florida, sending shards of the rocket flying far and wide, into the sea and across the coastal scrubland nearby.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
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Up close, the design featured far more detail, boasting peek-a-boo lace cups and hundreds of shards of stone and crystals.—
Chanel Vargas,
InStyle,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Horvath has faced issues in her district, which includes county areas devastated by the Palisades fire.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 June 2026
-
In the case of Tom Brandis, played by the singular Mark Ruffalo, a tragedy (matricide) has devastated his family unit.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Somewhere a hand was raised, a whistle was blown, and all at once the butchers were out of their stalls, assembling in the aisles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
The Washington Nationals used Richard Lovelady, who blew Monday’s series opener, as an opener, followed by veteran Miles Mikolas for a bulk appearance, their most promising combination given their roster construction and arms available.—
Danielle Allentuck,
Washington Post,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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