smithereens

Also smith·ers

[smith-uh-reenz]

plural noun

1. small pieces; bits.

   broken into smithereens.

smithereens

/ ˌsmɪðəˈriːnz /

plural noun

1. little shattered pieces or fragments

Word History and Origins

Origin of smithereens¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of smithereens¹

C19: from Irish Gaelic smidirīn, from smiodar

Example Sentences

It’s not that my expectations for Donner’s first “Superman” were surpassed all those years ago; it’s that they were shattered to smithereens.

From Salon

Inexplicably, it was Trump, who blew this long-lasting arrangement to smithereens.

From Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, Musk has been watching his personal fortune shrink by the day and his reputation be blown to smithereens like one of his failed starship rockets.

From Salon

Ferran’s ragged butterfly Blanche looks at first glance as if she might be blown to smithereens with one gust of Stanley’s ferocious lung power.

From Los Angeles Times

We do, however, recognize something new and important, and we need to trust it, not blast it to smithereens, leaving us more shaken than stirred.

From Los Angeles Times