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
-
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:
After 50, it can completely shatter your finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Martinique official Serge Letchimy hailed a vote that he said had come "to shatter a system that tramples on the truth, absolves the guilty, and scorns the victims".
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 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
The silence between Cain and me stretches until I think it will fall and shatter on the ground.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Elliot Anderson will now become the most expensive British player in history as the midfielder's impending £116m move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest shatters previous marks.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
After a fall shatters his ankle, his stepchildren dump him with his daughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Cool and tangy yogurt, fruit that tastes unmistakably like itself, crunch that shatters and then yields.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
Whether the Fed supports or shatters that perception depends on what it says, not what it does.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2025
We close the pantry door just as glass shatters.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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
Nine-year-old Sebastian paints a portrait of his family home, unable to comprehend that it no longer exists after the powerful quake that shattered western Colombia this week.
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
Her blade shattered the chains on the left side like they were made of ice.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
The shattering of the “Good Day L.A.” team was particularly traumatic for Barberie, the breakout star of the trio.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Julius Caesar, the republic’s most politically astute and charismatic figure, cultivated personal power by shattering Roman safeguards and traditions that had been in place for centuries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
There had also been a shattering event in Paris for the second year in a row.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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.
