smithereens

[ smith-uh-reenz ]

/ ˌsmɪð əˈrinz /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: smithereen on Thesaurus.com

plural noun

small pieces; bits: broken into smithereens.

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

Also smith·ers

[smith-erz]. /ˈsmɪð ərz/.

Origin of smithereens

1820–30; dial. smithers (< ?) + Hiberno-English -een diminutive suffix (<Irish -ín)

Words nearby smithereens

smitch, smite, smith, Smith, Adam, Smith, Captain John, smithereens, smithery, Smithfield, Smithfield ham, Smith Island, Smith, Joseph

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

How to use smithereens in a sentence

Also, Mary is dead now and her grill has probably been blown to smithereens.
‘The Walking Dead’ Review: Carol Is the Hero of the Zombie Apocalypse|Melissa Leon|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nevertheless, Grande manages to shoot her foes to smithereens.
Ariana Grande’s Gay-Friendly Intergalactic Dance Party|Amy Zimmerman|August 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
New York residents—and moviegoers in general—are conditioned to seeing the Big Apple blown to smithereens.
‘White House Down,’ ‘Olympus Has Fallen’: Washington Destroyed in Film|Kevin Fallon|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Meanwhile, the bomb explodes, blowing him and his pals to smithereens.
MacGruber's Big Score|Bryan Curtis|March 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST

I think that embedded in these agreements are three ticking time bombs that could blow them to smithereens.
Russia's Ticking Time Bomb|The Daily Beast|July 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A model of a statue which he had just finished with a desperate effort was smashed to smithereens on its way to exhibition.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
I think the best use you can put a rattlesnake to is to blow him into smithereens, which is what I am going to do.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
"I suppose it makes no difference if Edith is 'smashed to smithereens,' only the canoe," remarked Cynthia, demurely.
Harper's Round Table, August 20, 1895|Various
One bunch come right for my guns, but we had loaded with grape an' we just blew 'em to smithereens.
The Believing Years|Edmund Lester Pearson
The lumpy problem was smashed, by that cry, into smithereens.
The Wolf Cub|Patrick Casey

British Dictionary definitions for smithereens

smithereens

/ (ˌsmɪðəˈriːnz) /

pl n

little shattered pieces or fragments

Word Origin for smithereens

C19: from Irish Gaelic smidirīn, from smiodar

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

smithereens

Origin of smithereens

Words nearby smithereens

Words related to smithereens

How to use smithereens in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smithereens

Word Origin for smithereens