shatters 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of shatter
1
as in destroys
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 smashes
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

shatters

2 of 2

noun

plural of shatter

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 shatters
Verb
When a severe heatwave shatters her family’s fragile routine and exposes her father’s dementia, Anna’s world is thrown into uncertainty. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 After the cannon booms shatters these boxes, the ensemble tumbles together in a finale worthy of Tchaikovsky. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Diesel shatters all-time records Diesel, a crucial fuel that powers trucks, trains, tractors and boats, has never been more expensive than today. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 But before any collective exhale can commence, the mood shatters. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026 Inadvertently, our entry shatters the glass ceiling, since Georgia and I are the only girls there. — Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026 But when a killer shatters the peace, Annie is faced with the task of confronting everyone’s collective trauma, while being thrown headfirst into a nightmare. — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … RAISING THE BAR — ICE shatters all-time mark with a jaw-dropping 51,000 arrests in July. — FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 As Hogi pokes a hole in this plot and shatters the industrial love complex we’ve been sold song after song, movie after movie, the workplace version of this unhealthy relationship presents a familiar parallel. — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatters
Verb
  • Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • How IonQ cracked error correction Since making measurements of a qubit destroys its quantum state, researchers can only gather information about their syndromes to know if the qubit has accumulated an error or not.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The bamboo smashes into bone and the scene in my mind bursts into a million white pieces.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The parents can be seen in the video rushing toward their children as the car smashes through the fence.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Students sitting with arms linked at the elbows could only see in shards through a picket of shin guards, restricting their view of the area where classmates and roommates were dragged one by one and zip-tied face down on the spring grass.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Windows had been boarded up to avoid glass shards hurting anyone in case of an explosion.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Policymakers' ignorance of oil market mechanics becomes clear only when geopolitics enters the picture and blows it all to hell, either figuratively or literally.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The exhaust port blows to the rear to allow for quick cleaning of leaves and grass clippings.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Legend has it this imperative caused the park’s architect, William Russell Everitt, to smash the original model to splinters with a baseball bat.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • Congress can swing the axe but taxpayers pick up the splinters.
    — Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • As climate chaos causes oceans to swallow coastlands, and as surging water displaces and devastates communities, social survival will demand that people find ways to live and work with – and on – the water.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities.
    — Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Continue reading … ‘NEVER-ENDING’ — Huge number of noncitizens found on voter rolls as Mike Lee explodes on 'honor system'.
    — , FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Once the mook is within blasting range, Reacher explodes the tank with a bullet — making both the man and the floor as holey as Swiss cheese.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatters. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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