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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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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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 The user shared another clip in the thread that followed, showing the G1 breaking into a room like a burglar, shattering a glass door. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025 But to have somebody that's a main character like that actually get killed was something that was shattering to everybody. Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025 This hurricane season came close to shattering records, trailing only 2005 for having the most Category 5 hurricanes in a single season, which saw three storms of that caliber. Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025 In June, Walter reached his $10 billion agreement to buy the Lakers, shattering the previous control-sale record, which was the agreement for the Boston Celtics that closed in August. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025 Several government vehicles were damaged, and a federal contract employee was injured as a rock went through and objects, including objects on fire from an overpass on her vehicle window, shattering the glass and striking her, Essayli said. Louis Casiano , Matt Finn, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025 Advertisement The past few years have seen record-shattering global sea surface temperatures, which helps strengthen storms. Simmone Shah, Time, 28 Oct. 2025 Viewers are dropped into the aftermath of an unnamed personal conflict and must work out over the course of the runtime the stakes of the situation, a highwire act handled deftly by the actors whose tender performances provide the emotional impact of the film’s shattering final sequence. Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
  • And candidates who stoked fear in voters — with the threat of towering multi-family complexes destroying their communities or costly local infrastructure projects driving up taxes — lost by clear margins.
    Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Derek Lopez, 27, was fired from his role at the university after he was caught on camera destroying a Turning Point display.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The ceremony involved smashing a bottle of champagne into the hull of the submarine, which Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev did.
    Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
  • The situation is likely to seem even more bizarre to some people, after a video was released Tuesday, showing Perry picking up a birthday cake presented to her by her Lifetimes Tour backup dancers and smashing it on the ground.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Chiefs have seen some of league’s premier running backs — such as Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs — and have met each challenge, preventing those elite players from ruining the defensive game plan.
    Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Clark reiterated his belief that the Dodgers are not ruining baseball.
    Evan Drellich, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.
    Daniel Estrin, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Most recently, crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The fires claimed 102 lives, displaced over 13,000 others and burned more than 3,000 homes, destroying centuries of cultural history and devastating the economy of an entire region, with losses estimated at nearly $13 billion.
    Josh Green, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the victims of Hurricane Melissa, which struck Cuba this morning after devastating Jamaica.
    Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That team pulled off this same trick, blowing the doors off all comers until slipping past USC.
    Pete Sampson, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The space was stifling in the Louisiana heat, so fans were blowing for everyone inside.
    Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Storm preparations Cuba has been struck almost yearly by a major hurricane in recent years, sometimes twice, wrecking the country’s already decrepit infrastructure, damaging crops and destroying thousands of homes in precarious condition.
    Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2025
  • That history came to an end after wrecking crews tore down the wing’s two stories of offices and reception rooms last week.
    Darlene Superville, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Many of them are desperately struggling to protect their homes – for some, their only source of wealth – in the face of exploding rents and threats of eviction.
    Cassie Powell, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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