1
as in destroying
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 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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demolishing
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shattering
People in the crowd also took bats to five NYPD vehicles and jumped on them, shattering front and back windows, officials said.
—
Mark Prussin, CBS News, 14 June 2026
Videos online showed Knicks fans stomping on Citi Bikes, climbing street lamps, shattering windows and attacking taxi cabs.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
The burst of activity marks a shift from Swift’s more deliberate public strategy over the past 18 months, following the record-shattering Eras Tour, which remains the only concert tour in history to gross $2 billion.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 12 June 2026
The 2025 Guardians became a gold standard for overcoming adversity, a team that flipped its season upside down after enduring a 10-game skid and a morale-shattering gambling scandal.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Over the prairie there would be lightning that evening, dropping in shattering bolts from swollen purple clouds.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
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
None of this felt realistic, especially not Colman Domingo’s sawed-off-shotgun-wielding Ali shooting up Alamo’s club in his mentee Rue’s honor, shattering a mask of poise that had defined his character (like the whiplash of Khaleesi’s end of Game of Thrones rogue era).
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Mark Prussin, CBS News, 14 June 2026
Videos online showed Knicks fans stomping on Citi Bikes, climbing street lamps, shattering windows and attacking taxi cabs.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026
The burst of activity marks a shift from Swift’s more deliberate public strategy over the past 18 months, following the record-shattering Eras Tour, which remains the only concert tour in history to gross $2 billion.
—Antonio Ferme, Variety, 12 June 2026
The 2025 Guardians became a gold standard for overcoming adversity, a team that flipped its season upside down after enduring a 10-game skid and a morale-shattering gambling scandal.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Over the prairie there would be lightning that evening, dropping in shattering bolts from swollen purple clouds.
—Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
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
None of this felt realistic, especially not Colman Domingo’s sawed-off-shotgun-wielding Ali shooting up Alamo’s club in his mentee Rue’s honor, shattering a mask of poise that had defined his character (like the whiplash of Khaleesi’s end of Game of Thrones rogue era).
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
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Strikes and artillery fire were reported across Nabatieh district, destroying homes and residential buildings, according to NNA.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026
-
One video shows a surface to air missile hitting a drone but not destroying it; the drone crashes to the ground and explodes.—
David Hambling,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
One video appeared to show two people jumping onto the roof of an NYPD vehicle and smashing its windshield.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
Yes to hugging and high-fiving a stranger; no to tearing down a lamppost and smashing a cop car.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Historically, barrels of Madeira spent months crossing tropical oceans aboard ships, and merchants realized that the heat actually improved the wine rather than ruining it.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The antics each week involved lovable Gilligan ruining a plan to get the gang rescued, but also ogling the bombshell Ginger (Tina Louise) and getting annoyed by Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus).—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Indeed, many media observers—inside and outside the network—have gone so far as to suggest that demolishing the status quo seems to be central to Weiss’s mandate.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
In February 2024, police gave him and his wife minutes to pack before demolishing their home.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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But Saeta, which has been outfitting the team since coming to its rescue after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake, has been struggling to keep up with demands, creating an opening for designers and other vendors selling unofficial merchandise.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
-
The British government refused to subsidize food prices or restrict exports of Irish agricultural goods, further devastating the island.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Instead, he was left with his tail between his legs and claimed that the Spurs actually dominated the series despite blowing leads in all four of their losses.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Workers in the early morning of June 13 took down the president's signage after blowing past a June 12 deadline to comply with a judge's order.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Verb
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What is in tandem here is the exuberantly generative possibility of life itself (SCOBY, water) alongside the very synthetic polymers that are literally wrecking life on an individual and systemic level.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
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Belt-Stubblefield did not stop and ended up wrecking his car.—
Michael Abeyta,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Atlanta trailed 25-13 after one quarter before exploding for 34 points in the second, the team's highest-scoring second quarter of the season, to flip the game entirely.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
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In a recent blog post, Asha Sharma laid out many issues ranging from tiny division margins to exploding component costs, all balanced with its biggest gamer complaint, a lack of big Xbox first-party games, and namely big first-party games that are Xbox exclusives.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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