1
as in to destroy
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 to smash
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 to demolish
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in splinter
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of shatter
Alaa Alqaisi
august 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Sadly, the date is ruined when the restaurant’s glass floor shatters, some 40 stories above the ground.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
Chris Wysopal, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This, for instance, prevents plastic buckets from breaking or glass bottles from shattering.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Verb
Here, the myths that once sustained the imagination of modern civilization—human rights, international law, moral values—shatter under the weight of their own contradictions.
—Alaa Alqaisi
august 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
Sadly, the date is ruined when the restaurant’s glass floor shatters, some 40 stories above the ground.
—Keith Langston, People.com, 18 May 2025
Noun
The new generation has shattered the mold.
—Chris Wysopal, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
This, for instance, prevents plastic buckets from breaking or glass bottles from shattering.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
-
Some are value-destroying black holes; others are relentless value creators.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The first instance of NATO nations downing drones came last week, when Polish and Dutch fighters destroyed three Russian drones over Poland.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As the first half drew to a close, Calvert-Lewin towered above Kenny Tete to nod a ball down that Sean Longstaff would eventually smash off the crossbar.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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In the worst-case scenario, a collision could smash a satellite into many more pieces of space debris, which each then go on to collide with more satellites, which produces more chunks of space junk, and so on and so forth.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The score surges and splinters, and the world is askew.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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The brittle, eco-friendly bamboo straw is another concession to the community, as are the splinters.—
Joe Joyce,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some hardware is brass-plated, which means scrubbing could expose the metal underneath and ruin the finish.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
-
However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Simone Jasper,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For McDaniel, seeing homeowners demolish old tile is enough to make her heart sink.—
Tessa Cooper,
Southern Living,
19 Sep. 2025
-
His jersey hung in his locker untouched at the old Busch Stadium until it was demolished in 2005.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Nothing about Francis Lawrence’s take-no-prisoners adaptation of Richard Bachman’s (aka Stephen King) staggering novel offers one shard of hope for any of us to wrap our bloodied fingers around.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Kafka’s life and work are fragmented, so the film had to be fragmented too—piecing together shards of his fiction, his letters, and his lived experience.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On September 7, dog owner Brittany U'Wren was devastated to learn that her rescue Shitzu mix, named Lexi, had escaped through the garage and disappeared from her home in Lexington, Kentucky.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Ajok said that a friend, a fellow Ugandan athlete, told her that after taking medication and undergoing surgery in order to compete, they were left feeling devastated.—
Amy Woodyatt,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As health restrictions discouraged people from blowing directly into instruments, Gajewski and Brown reimagined the design.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Soldiers have also been spotted in parks carrying out tasks typically assigned to gardeners and landscapers – shoveling mulch, blowing leaves and scooping up trash.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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