shatter
[ shat-er ]
/ ˈʃæt ər /
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.
Origin of shatter
1300–50; Middle English
schateren < ?; cf.
scatter
synonym study for shatter
1. See
break.
OTHER WORDS FROM shatter
Words nearby shatter
shastra,
shastracara,
shastri,
shat,
shatt-al-arab,
shatter,
shatter cone,
shattered,
shatterproof,
shaun,
shavano peak
Example sentences from the Web for shatter
British Dictionary definitions for shatter
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
(tr) informal
to cause to be tired out or exhausted
an obsolete word for scatter
noun
(usually plural) obsolete, or dialect
a fragment
Derived forms of shatter
shatterer, noun shattering, adjective shatteringly, adverbWord Origin for shatter
C12: perhaps obscurely related to
scatter