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shatter
[ shat-er ]
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.
shatter
/ ˈʃætə /
verb
- to break or be broken into many small pieces
- tr to impair or destroy
his nerves were shattered by the torture
- tr to dumbfound or thoroughly upset
she was shattered by the news
- informal.tr to cause to be tired out or exhausted
- an obsolete word for scatter
noun
- obsolete.usually plural a fragment
Derived Forms
- ˈshatteringly, adverb
- ˈshattering, adjective
- ˈshatterer, noun
Other Words From
- shatter·er noun
- shatter·ing·ly adverb
- non·shatter noun
- non·shatter·ing adjective
- un·shattered adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of shatter1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
In less than two weeks since being elected again, Donald J. Trump has embarked on a new campaign to shatter the institutions of Washington as no incoming president has in his lifetime.
Don’t ask me why metal melted and double-paned windows shattered but a house made of wood didn’t ignite.
That aspiration shattered overnight when Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine.
That compact between citizens and government has been broken for a long time, but now, more than ever in recent decades, it is shattered.
It breaks the movie out of the conceit of it actually being a live show, and suddenly you shatter the fourth wall.
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