shatters 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of shatter
1
as in destroys
to bring to a complete end the physical soundness, existence, or usefulness of tried to restore their shattered hopes

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2
as in smashes
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

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3

shatters

2 of 2

noun

plural of shatter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shatters
Verb
When a severe heatwave shatters her family’s fragile routine and exposes her father’s dementia, Anna’s world is thrown into uncertainty. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026 After the cannon booms shatters these boxes, the ensemble tumbles together in a finale worthy of Tchaikovsky. — Carlos Valladares, ARTnews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Diesel shatters all-time records Diesel, a crucial fuel that powers trucks, trains, tractors and boats, has never been more expensive than today. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 But before any collective exhale can commence, the mood shatters. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Aug. 2026 Inadvertently, our entry shatters the glass ceiling, since Georgia and I are the only girls there. — Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026 But when a killer shatters the peace, Annie is faced with the task of confronting everyone’s collective trauma, while being thrown headfirst into a nightmare. — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 Continue reading … RAISING THE BAR — ICE shatters all-time mark with a jaw-dropping 51,000 arrests in July. — FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 As Hogi pokes a hole in this plot and shatters the industrial love complex we’ve been sold song after song, movie after movie, the workplace version of this unhealthy relationship presents a familiar parallel. — Dr. Marcus Collins, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shatters
Verb
  • Jains typically do not eat root vegetables because harvesting them destroys the whole plant and harms life-forms around it.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Sep. 2026
  • How IonQ cracked error correction Since making measurements of a qubit destroys its quantum state, researchers can only gather information about their syndromes to know if the qubit has accumulated an error or not.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • His acumen for promotion, particularly in international markets, helped the commercial success of box office smashes such as Saturday Night Fever and Raiders of the Lost Ark.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The bamboo smashes into bone and the scene in my mind bursts into a million white pieces.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In fact, they aren’t made of glass at all; they’re made of polycarbonate, a plastic material that mimics the look of a wonky funhouse reflector, to prevent people from shattering the surface and using broken shards as weapons.
    — Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Students sitting with arms linked at the elbows could only see in shards through a picket of shin guards, restricting their view of the area where classmates and roommates were dragged one by one and zip-tied face down on the spring grass.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • An $8,000 Ryvid Anthem or a $10,000 Maeving RM1S will deliver broadly similar urban usability, while the $12,500 Zero FXE absolutely demolishes it on power-per-dollar.
    — Utkarsh Sood June 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026
  • The latest filing demolishes the timeworn claim that DOGE was infiltrated into Social Security in order to responsibly ferret out fraud and overspending.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Policymakers' ignorance of oil market mechanics becomes clear only when geopolitics enters the picture and blows it all to hell, either figuratively or literally.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The exhaust port blows to the rear to allow for quick cleaning of leaves and grass clippings.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Legend has it this imperative caused the park’s architect, William Russell Everitt, to smash the original model to splinters with a baseball bat.
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
  • Congress can swing the axe but taxpayers pick up the splinters.
    — Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • As climate chaos causes oceans to swallow coastlands, and as surging water displaces and devastates communities, social survival will demand that people find ways to live and work with – and on – the water.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities.
    — Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • When the gang war that’s been building all along between the Greasers and the Socs finally explodes in the second act, the violence is conveyed through movement, lighting, sound and just all around scenic brilliance.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Continue reading … ‘NEVER-ENDING’ — Huge number of noncitizens found on voter rolls as Mike Lee explodes on 'honor system'.
    — , FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shatters. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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