Dictionary.com

shatter

[ shat-er ]
/ ˈʃæt ər /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: shatter / shattered / shattering on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
to damage, as by breaking or crushing: ships shattered by storms.
to impair or destroy (health, nerves, etc.): The incident shattered his composure.
to weaken, destroy, or refute (ideas, opinions, etc.): He wanted to shatter her illusions.
verb (used without object)
to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial.
noun
Usually shatters. fragments made by shattering.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of shatter

1300–50; Middle English schateren< ?; cf. scatter

synonym study for shatter

1. See break.

OTHER WORDS FROM shatter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to shatter

blast, burst, crack, crush, dash, demolish, destroy, disable, exhaust, explode, fracture, impair, ruin, smash, snap, splinter, split, wreck, devastate, rattle

How to use shatter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shatter

shatter
/ (ˈʃætə) /
verb
to break or be broken into many small pieces
(tr) to impair or destroyhis nerves were shattered by the torture
(tr) to dumbfound or thoroughly upsetshe was shattered by the news
(tr) informal to cause to be tired out or exhausted
an obsolete word for scatter
noun
(usually plural) obsolete, or dialect a fragment

Derived forms of shatter

shatterer, nounshattering, adjectiveshatteringly, adverb

Word Origin for shatter

C12: perhaps obscurely related to scatter
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK