shatter
Americanverb (used with object)
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shatters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shattered,
past participle, past
-
shattering
present participle
-
to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
-
to damage, as by breaking or crushing.
ships shattered by storms.
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to impair or destroy (health, nerves, etc.).
The incident shattered his composure.
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to weaken, destroy, or refute (ideas, opinions, etc.).
He wanted to shatter her illusions.
verb (used without object)
-
shatters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shattered,
past participle, past
-
shattering
present participle
noun
verb
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to break or be broken into many small pieces
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(tr) to impair or destroy
his nerves were shattered by the torture
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(tr) to dumbfound or thoroughly upset
she was shattered by the news
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informal (tr) to cause to be tired out or exhausted
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an obsolete word for scatter
noun
Synonym Usage
See break.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonshatternoun
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shatterernoun
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nonshatteringadjective
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shatteringadjective
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unshatteredadjective
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shatteringlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shattersimple
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shatterssimple
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have shatteredperfect
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has shatteredperfect
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am shatteringprogressive
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are shatteringprogressive
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is shatteringprogressive
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have been shatteringperfect progressive
-
has been shatteringperfect progressive
Past
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shatteredsimple
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had shatteredperfect
-
was shatteringprogressive
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were shatteringprogressive
-
had been shatteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shatter
1300–50; Middle English schateren < ?; cf. scatter
Explanation
When you shatter something, you smash it or break it into small bits. If your sister hits a baseball directly into the kitchen window, the window will shatter — and your sister will be in big trouble. When you drop something fragile, it will probably shatter—lightbulbs, teacups, mirrors, and windows all shatter fairly easily. Things can also shatter in a less literal way, when it just feels like they're breaking apart violently. If your best friend ignores you all day, your heart shatters; and if you stumble and fall on your way up to a podium to give a speech, your confidence may shatter.
Vocabulary lists containing shatter
Lesson 11
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Towers Falling
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Blasted to Smithereens: Synonyms for "Break"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The strengthening El Nino could shatter all-time records, "adding fuel to a planet already on fire" and pushing the world into "uncharted territory," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned recently.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Revealing his luxurious lifestyle would shatter the state’s propaganda that Kim suffers alongside his people—nearly half of whom are malnourished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"I'm an angel, I'm a demon, I'm a psycho for no reason," she sings, channelling my cat's personality over a drum sound that could shatter windows.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
But only one could be worn by the first person to shatter the 2-hour barrier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Chamberlin had planned the meeting as a trap to try to shatter Holmes’s imperturbable façade, and was impressed with Holmes’s ability to maintain his insouciance despite the rancor in the room.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
She argued that "one person's phone going off shatters that for everybody" and so disrupting the experience is "an act of extreme selfishness".
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
The top shatters just slightly under a knife, giving way to a plush, chocolate-saturated center streaked with melted pockets.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026
But gone too is a sense that we understand each other’s pasts, and Nicole’s understanding of Birdie shatters into a mess of devotion and anger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
For smaller smartphone makers with thinner profit margins, the uptick in memory costs shatters the notion that component costs fall over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Celia’s brow furrows over her dark eyes and the watch shatters, gears spilling out into the air.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
In that footage, shattered glass, empty shelves, cracked computer screens and scattered debris can be seen in the wake of the burglary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
De la Espriella has faced a tough first week in office, with multiple cities shattered by the tremor and the government yet to publish reconstruction cost estimates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Under the scorching heat on Tuesday morning, Torres del Limonar is a shattered mountain of rubble, with mattresses, furniture, and belongings peeking out from the concrete.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The twin quakes that shattered Venezuela in June killed 6,125 people, National Assembly Chief Jorge Rodriguez said Monday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
But Max screws the hinges back on tight, and the shattered hole is in the back, against the wall, where it doesn’t show when the doors are shut.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Both apps allowed wagers on the number of “explosive diarrhea” cyclosporiasis and measles cases this year, with both outbreaks shattering records.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
They move at walking speed and don’t possess shattering grip strength.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Much of Western Europe was sweltering in a gruelling heatwave on Friday with the mercury expected to continue rising in the coming days, likely shattering yet more temperature records.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
Servite won the boys 4x100 in 39.73, shattering Hawthorne’s 38-year-old meet record of 40.24.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
I asked again, because my world was shattering, and I needed the truth to build it back up.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
