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
Alaa Alqaisi
august 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
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
Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
That mark didn’t last long as Willow Bay and Bob Iger soon shattered it, paying $250 million to take control of Angel City FC in 2024.
—Asli Pelit, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Verb
Here, the myths that once sustained the imagination of modern civilization—human rights, international law, moral values—shatter under the weight of their own contradictions.
—Alaa Alqaisi
august 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
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
Noun
The shift change shatters my sleep like a robin’s egg crashing against pavement.
—Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
That mark didn’t last long as Willow Bay and Bob Iger soon shattered it, paying $250 million to take control of Angel City FC in 2024.
—Asli Pelit, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
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Some are value-destroying black holes; others are relentless value creators.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The first instance of NATO nations downing drones came last week, when Polish and Dutch fighters destroyed three Russian drones over Poland.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As the first half drew to a close, Calvert-Lewin towered above Kenny Tete to nod a ball down that Sean Longstaff would eventually smash off the crossbar.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In the worst-case scenario, a collision could smash a satellite into many more pieces of space debris, which each then go on to collide with more satellites, which produces more chunks of space junk, and so on and so forth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The score surges and splinters, and the world is askew.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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The brittle, eco-friendly bamboo straw is another concession to the community, as are the splinters.—
Joe Joyce,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some hardware is brass-plated, which means scrubbing could expose the metal underneath and ruin the finish.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
In a shocking and dominant performance, Lesnar completely demolished Cena, delivering 16 German suplexes in a one-sided beatdown to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nothing about Francis Lawrence’s take-no-prisoners adaptation of Richard Bachman’s (aka Stephen King) staggering novel offers one shard of hope for any of us to wrap our bloodied fingers around.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
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Kafka’s life and work are fragmented, so the film had to be fragmented too—piecing together shards of his fiction, his letters, and his lived experience.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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The glossy marketing doesn't include a footnote about trust funds, family support or the ability to absorb year-over-year losses that would devastate most working families.—
Elle Wang,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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