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
Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 4 July 2024
Baltimore is on pace to shatter its franchise record for homers in a season of 257 set in 1997.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2024
John Ismay, New York Times, 11 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for shatter 
Verb
The Celtics don’t own their arena, which dampens the value a little, but the club will almost certainly shatter the record for highest price paid for control of an NBA team.
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 4 July 2024
Baltimore is on pace to shatter its franchise record for homers in a season of 257 set in 1997.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2024
Noun
When detonated, the bomb’s smooth skin shatters into razor-sharp fragments that can shred human bodies and unarmored vehicles alike.
—John Ismay, New York Times, 11 May 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for shatter
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 15 Jul. 2024.
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