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
SpaceX’s record-shattering IPO has minted thousands of new millionaires, unleashing a wave of high-end home shoppers poised to reshape Southern California’s already tight coastal housing markets.
—
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
The record-shattering heat waves in Europe last week and in the western US in March are two recent examples.
—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
The owners had taped giant Xs across the windows to stop the regular explosions from shattering them.
—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2026
The series ran for three seasons between 2000 and 2001, shattering television conventions and quickly becoming a cult favorite.
—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 June 2026
But in the second half, the team gave them more reason to cheer with two quick-fire goals, prompting ear-shattering noise, waterfalls of beer and a few smoke bombs.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The subwoofer itself sports an eight-inch dual active driver that pumps out bone-shattering bass, and when paired with Dolby Atmos 3D support, the spatial audio sounds utterly unreal.
—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
The brand was already the most searched name on Ulta’s site before the line expanded to the retailer’s 1,500-plus doors in February, shattering sales records and becoming the chain’s largest brand launch ever.
—
Danielle Directo-Meston,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
Ratings from the opening match went through the roof, shattering records.
—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Roger Vincent,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
The record-shattering heat waves in Europe last week and in the western US in March are two recent examples.
—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
The owners had taped giant Xs across the windows to stop the regular explosions from shattering them.
—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2026
The series ran for three seasons between 2000 and 2001, shattering television conventions and quickly becoming a cult favorite.
—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 June 2026
But in the second half, the team gave them more reason to cheer with two quick-fire goals, prompting ear-shattering noise, waterfalls of beer and a few smoke bombs.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The subwoofer itself sports an eight-inch dual active driver that pumps out bone-shattering bass, and when paired with Dolby Atmos 3D support, the spatial audio sounds utterly unreal.
—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
26 June 2026
The brand was already the most searched name on Ulta’s site before the line expanded to the retailer’s 1,500-plus doors in February, shattering sales records and becoming the chain’s largest brand launch ever.
—
Danielle Directo-Meston,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2026
Ratings from the opening match went through the roof, shattering records.
—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shattering
Verb
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That second blaze burned charred 23,500 acres in that community, Malibu and elsewhere, killing 12 people and destroying or damaging more than 7,500 homes and businesses.
-
These kinds of old negatives are often stored inside cans and are so fragile they can’t be unrolled without destroying them, Seales says.
Verb
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Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital's business district.
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Also in 2007, Spencer was sentenced concurrently to seven years in prison for choking a woman, slamming her head to the ground, and robbing her of her cellphone, and for smashing into a woman's car and ransacking it, prosecutors said.
Verb
-
The company was saving a few bucks but ruining its product.
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Adidas’s everyday sneakers can handle 20,000 steps without ruining an outfit, perfectly balancing cool with comfy.
Verb
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But everyday people expressed their political outrage time and again, throwing rocks at and demolishing the houses of government officials, torching the king’s ships and forts and, eventually, marching to battle.
-
During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
Verb
-
Loss of this support, which is said to cover 25% of the center’s operating costs, would have been devastating both financially and reputationally.
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These giant invasive snakes are devastating the Everglades ecosystem by eating through the native food web without any natural predators to keep them in check.
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.
-
Royce Lewis slipped an RBI single up the middle in the 10th inning and the Minnesota Twins beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8 on Friday night after blowing a seven-run lead.
Verb
-
As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.
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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.
Verb
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True to its name, Swift is designed to pivot quickly to capture late-breaking astronomical events such as gamma ray bursts and exploding stars.
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Old Herald clippings from 1986 reported about homeowners’ toilets and sinks smelling like gas, a 3-year-old getting rashes and fevers from drinking the well water and fear of dryers exploding.
Cite this Entry
“Shattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shattering. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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