shatter
Americanverb (used with object)
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to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
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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)
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
Related Words
See break.
Other Word Forms
- nonshatter noun
- nonshattering adjective
- shatterer noun
- shattering adjective
- shatteringly adverb
- unshattered adjective
Etymology
Origin of shatter
1300–50; Middle English schateren < ?; scatter
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.
"It was one of those days - I was absolutely shattered by then after working all day on the Friday, getting into bed and then Emma going into labour," he said.
From BBC
Medical records reviewed by The Times show he has a cardiac condition that required open-heart surgery, a procedure Gaza’s shattered healthcare system could no longer provide.
From Los Angeles Times
Jamerson’s dreams of a solid return to a school that snubbed him were shattered.
From Los Angeles Times
When she botched the final jump of her otherwise faultless short program, it was the shattering of her dream that left Glenn more distraught than the score that dropped her to 13th place.
From Los Angeles Times
Maple-slicked Brussels sprouts with charred leaves that shatter under your fork.
From Salon
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.
