shattered; shattering; shatters
1
: to cause to drop or be dispersed
2
a
: to break at once into pieces
b
: to damage badly : ruin
3
: to cause the disruption or annihilation of : demolish
1
: to break apart : disintegrate
2
: to drop off parts (such as leaves, petals, or fruit)
2
: an act of shattering : the state of being shattered
3
: a result of shattering : shower
Synonyms
Examples of shatter in a Sentence
Verb
The rock shattered the window.
His dreams were shattered by their rejection.
The end of his marriage shattered him emotionally.
Recent Examples on the Web
Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
In what felt like real time, the shooting sent shock waves through the Colorado community and the nation, shattering the belief that children were safe at school.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
For the crispy potatoes, Black specially selected a spud variety for its sugar, starch, and water content, and they’re then cooked three times—steamed, fried, baked—to achieve a shattering crunch and pillowy interior.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Photo : Mercedes-Benz AG The most expensive car ever sold is a Mercedes
In 2022, an extremely rare Mercedes-Benz shattered records, becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
—Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024
Her popularity helped Iowa shatter attendance records even before her final college season tipped off.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu and his cabinet would be unwise to risk shattering that international backing.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The driver-side window was shattered, presumably from the shotgun blast.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The trial shattered viewership records for both courtroom streaming services, and showed that public interest in the intersection of fame and courtroom drama has not abated.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Biting into one of the precise, oblong pieces, the effect is texture-first, a cross between the crackle-squish of popcorn and the shatter of well-lacquered Peking duck skin.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2023
Rucker and her longtime right-hand baker Krystle Shelton have the gift: The texture flakes and shatters against the teeth and promptly melts into a memory of butter.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024
Perhaps the last 12 months will serve as one of those transitional moments in Hollywood history, a time where the old paradigms shatter and a period of creative resurgence blossoms in their wreckage.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2023
The video, obtained by Fox Weather, shows the glass shatter, prompting the family inside to jump out of their seats and scurry away while a man went after the deer.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
There, a man named William McGuiness heard glass shatter and saw Lopes holding a large rock over his head before Chesna arrived.
—Ivy Scott, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023
However, in the final hour, the picture formulated for the audience shatters, and something else altogether unveils itself.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023
Would an asteroid shatter on impact?
—Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2019
Verb
There, it’s dumped out with a cacophonous shattering noise into huge outdoor bays.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2024
In what felt like real time, the shooting sent shock waves through the Colorado community and the nation, shattering the belief that children were safe at school.
—USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
For the crispy potatoes, Black specially selected a spud variety for its sugar, starch, and water content, and they’re then cooked three times—steamed, fried, baked—to achieve a shattering crunch and pillowy interior.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Photo : Mercedes-Benz AG The most expensive car ever sold is a Mercedes
In 2022, an extremely rare Mercedes-Benz shattered records, becoming the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
—Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2024
Her popularity helped Iowa shatter attendance records even before her final college season tipped off.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Netanyahu and his cabinet would be unwise to risk shattering that international backing.
—Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The driver-side window was shattered, presumably from the shotgun blast.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
The trial shattered viewership records for both courtroom streaming services, and showed that public interest in the intersection of fame and courtroom drama has not abated.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
Blocks of rubble, the skeletal remains of homes and shops, survivors living in the shatters who spoke of starvation and horror, collecting rainwater or risking their lives to go to the river, where soldiers shot at them.
—Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Biting into one of the precise, oblong pieces, the effect is texture-first, a cross between the crackle-squish of popcorn and the shatter of well-lacquered Peking duck skin.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2023
Rucker and her longtime right-hand baker Krystle Shelton have the gift: The texture flakes and shatters against the teeth and promptly melts into a memory of butter.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024
Perhaps the last 12 months will serve as one of those transitional moments in Hollywood history, a time where the old paradigms shatter and a period of creative resurgence blossoms in their wreckage.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2023
The video, obtained by Fox Weather, shows the glass shatter, prompting the family inside to jump out of their seats and scurry away while a man went after the deer.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
There, a man named William McGuiness heard glass shatter and saw Lopes holding a large rock over his head before Chesna arrived.
—Ivy Scott, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023
However, in the final hour, the picture formulated for the audience shatters, and something else altogether unveils itself.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023
Would an asteroid shatter on impact?
—Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shatter. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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