1
as in to destroy
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of
tried to restore their shattered hopes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to smash
to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive
shattered the sealed clay pot to find out what was inside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to demolish
to cause to break with violence and much noise
shattered the priceless vase in one clumsy fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in splinter
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of shatter
Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Another posted later shows plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage, with windows in adjacent buildings shattered.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
When the shards of symbolic celebration shatter, they are often left to navigate the jagged realities of structural and institutional neglect.
—Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Verb
Her pelvis was shattered and fractures were detected on 24 ribs.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026
Another posted later shows plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage, with windows in adjacent buildings shattered.
—Adam Pourahmadi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Noun
Gold and silver prices fell sharply on Friday, snapping a powerful rally that has seen the metals shatter multiple records this year.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
When the shards of symbolic celebration shatter, they are often left to navigate the jagged realities of structural and institutional neglect.
—Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatter
Verb
-
Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One of the men is seen on surveillance video smashing the front door with a metal object and connecting the ATM to the vehicle using a metal cable.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Particle accelerators like the LHC typically work by firing beams of particles at nearly the speed of light and smashing them together.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The goal is to isolate populations and splinter power.—
Jane M. Saks,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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The group began as a splinter of Al-Qaeda two decades ago, and in 2013 and 2014 took over several large cities in Iraq and Syria.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Accused of ruining baseball with their big-spending ways the past two years, the noise has only gotten louder as a labor showdown looms.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The beach patrol headquarters is in danger of collapsing and will be demolished this weekend.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The library, which blocked a view of the water for 30 years, was demolished, moved several blocks west as part of a new cultural center.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Cristobal’s arc can use a mite more variance overall, but her playing of Margot’s inner-torture from having to live with the literal shards of blood on her neck is effective.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Most of those issues have been from oil, lubrication, other or casing or shards inside the engines.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Look, if this had happened in my third season playing this character, I’d be devastated.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Pitchers and batters are both worse than a coin-flip at issuing challenges – blown calls in a matter of seconds.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatter. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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