shatter

1 of 2

verb

shat·​ter ˈsha-tər How to pronounce shatter (audio)
shattered; shattering; shatters

transitive verb

1
: to cause to drop or be dispersed
2
a
: to break at once into pieces
b
: to damage badly : ruin
3
: to cause the disruption or annihilation of : demolish

intransitive verb

1
: to break apart : disintegrate
2
: to drop off parts (such as leaves, petals, or fruit)
shatteringly adverb

shatter

2 of 2

noun

1
: fragment, shred
usually used in plural
the broken vase lay in shatters
2
: an act of shattering : the state of being shattered
3
: a result of shattering : shower

Examples of shatter in a Sentence

Verb The rock shattered the window. His dreams were shattered by their rejection. The end of his marriage shattered him emotionally.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The agency has received dozens of reports of the ovens overheating, causing the handles to melt or break, and glass in the unit to shatter. Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Buildings across the street from the blast site were also impacted, with glass shattered and shop signs damaged, footage aired on CCTV showed. Nectar Gan, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Earlier this week, a Chinese coast guard ship fired water cannons at a Philippine coast guard vessel, shattering a windscreen and injuring four personnel, Philippine authorities said. Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 She was drawn to Momofuku’s food, of course, but also chef David Chang’s ethos of shattering cultural barriers in gastronomy. Jasmine Li, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Within just a few hours, the window of one Philippine boat would be shattered by water cannon and four sailors aboard would be injured. Rebecca Wright, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 However, their dreams of a perfect family are shattered by poverty, cultural barriers and her father’s drug addiction. Partner Content, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The blast shattered windows and sent debris flying into their shelter. Claire Porter Robbins, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024 Most disastrous of all, the impact shattered the ice dam holding back Lake Agassiz, a vast expanse of glacial meltwater that stretched across Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Zach St. George, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
Rucker and her longtime right-hand baker Krystle Shelton have the gift: The texture flakes and shatters against the teeth and promptly melts into a memory of butter. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024 Perhaps the last 12 months will serve as one of those transitional moments in Hollywood history, a time where the old paradigms shatter and a period of creative resurgence blossoms in their wreckage. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 Dec. 2023 The video, obtained by Fox Weather, shows the glass shatter, prompting the family inside to jump out of their seats and scurry away while a man went after the deer. Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023 There, a man named William McGuiness heard glass shatter and saw Lopes holding a large rock over his head before Chesna arrived. Ivy Scott, BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2023 However, in the final hour, the picture formulated for the audience shatters, and something else altogether unveils itself. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Apr. 2023 Would an asteroid shatter on impact? Alison Klesman, Discover Magazine, 7 Mar. 2019 The heating surface is made of heavy-duty ceramic, covered by shatter-proof, easy-to-clean glass. Theresa Holland, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2023 Forty shells at a time are packed into trays that are fed into a long oven for a four-hour heat-treating process that helps the steel shatter into small, deadly pieces when the shell explodes. Rebecca Lieberman, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English schateren — more at scatter

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shatter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near shatter

Cite this Entry

“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shatter. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shatter

verb
shat·​ter
ˈshat-ər
1
: to break or fall to pieces
the window shattered
2
: to damage badly : ruin, wreck
the bad news will shatter their morale

More from Merriam-Webster on shatter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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