shattering

present participle of shatter
1
as in destroying
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of tried to restore their shattered hopes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in smashing
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

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 shattering Despite the ongoing discourse of economic slowdown, tariff threats and interest rate concerns, the richest Americans are shattering wealth records. Forbes Press Releases, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 The result is nonetheless shattering, for the characters and the audience. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025 Jorma Taccone, one part of the comedy trio The Lonely Island, was hospitalized after shattering his pelvis upon falling 20 feet off a ladder at his home. Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 The country’s defensive shields against disease are shattering, in ways that could take decades, even generations, to mend. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025 Rajab’s shattering half of her dialogue with the Red Crescent workers is presented in the film nearly in full, but integrated into a heated dramatization of the call-center conflict surrounding her case. Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025 Eventually, Parsons moved on and signed a four-year, $188 million deal with Green Bay, shattering records. Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025 As the table fell behind Cenat, shattering into pieces, the streamer looked behind him, cut the music, and asked his friends to fess up. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025 August made history on its own, but compared to the record-shattering extremes of 2023 and 2024, this year had fewer heat streaks. Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
  • The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 11 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
  • While Bills Mafia holds dear traditions like smashing into tables and dousing a superfan in condiments before games, the group also developed a philanthropic bent.
    Sean Gregory, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • And broadcasting your irritation too loudly risks ruining the atmosphere for everyone else just as much as their yelling or off-key chants.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Just as Alexis Bellino flubbed her second chance by aligning herself too closely with Johnny J, an Ed Hardy snapback that refuses to die, Gretchen is ruining hers by trying to relitigate things from the Obama Administration.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
  • 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
Verb
  • From delivering disaster relief during devastating recent floods to investing in food banks, the business’ presence extends far beyond its checkout lines.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • While the negative human-health effects of smoke from the Glass Fire have been well documented, the toxic brown blanket covering the Napa Valley is also devastating bee populations, said local beekeeper John Sevigny.
    Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 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
Verb
  • The sophomore, who is the youngest player ever voted captain under coach Jay Norvell, was a one-man wrecking crew against the Huskies with a game-high 13 tackles.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
  • For 25 years, Chavism has co-opted Venezuela's infrastructure for its own enrichment, persecuting journalists and opposition, wrecking the economy, and leaving its citizens in poverty.
    Kristina Foltz, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • At the same time, lawmakers had capped the agency’s administrative funding just as tens of millions of Baby Boomers were aging into retirement, exploding Social Security’s rolls.
    Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
  • This upgrade requires packs to withstand thermal runaway without igniting or exploding.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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