shatter

[shat-er] /ˈʃæt ər/
verb (used with object)
1.
to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
2.
to damage, as by breaking or crushing:
ships shattered by storms.
3.
to impair or destroy (health, nerves, etc.):
The incident shattered his composure.
4.
to weaken, destroy, or refute (ideas, opinions, etc.):
He wanted to shatter her illusions.
verb (used without object)
5.
to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial.
noun
6.
Usually, shatters. fragments made by shattering.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English schateren < ?; cf. scatter
Related forms
shatterer, noun
shatteringly, adverb
nonshatter, noun
nonshattering, adjective
unshattered, adjective
Synonyms
1. shiver, split, crack. See break.
Examples from the web for shatter
  • The euro zone could shatter into different pieces, or a large block in the north and a fragmented south.
  • The euro zone could shatter into different pieces, or a large block in the north and a fragmented south.
  • Similarly, if an asteroid is small enough to shatter from a nuke, maybe a kinetic energy projectile isn't such a good idea either.
  • Even a small amount of doubt is enough to shatter consensus.
  • Ceramic knives hold an edge--but they shatter if dropped.
  • The only caveat is that these are not for people who tend to drop things, since they will shatter if dropped.
  • The weight of the water then drives the cracks through the ice, causing it to shatter.
  • Because simply seeing a vase shatter activates the part of the brain that handles sound.
  • It doesn't eliminate fossil fuels or shatter the price levels of other clean technologies.
  • The settling of stationing cleaning is one way not to shatter scatter and scattering.
British Dictionary definitions for shatter

shatter

/ˈʃætə/
verb
1.
to break or be broken into many small pieces
2.
(transitive) to impair or destroy: his nerves were shattered by the torture
3.
(transitive) to dumbfound or thoroughly upset: she was shattered by the news
4.
(transitive) (informal) to cause to be tired out or exhausted
5.
an obsolete word for scatter
noun
6.
(usually pl) (obsolete or dialect) a fragment
Derived Forms
shatterer, noun
shattering, adjective
shatteringly, adverb
Word Origin
C12: perhaps obscurely related to scatter
Word Origin and History for shatter
v.

early 14c., transitive, probably a variant of Middle English scateren (see scatter (v.)). Cf. Old Dutch schetteren Low German schateren. Formations such as scatter-brained had parallel forms in shatter-brained, etc. Intransitive sense from 1560s. Related: Shattered; shattering. Carlyle (1841) used shatterment. Shatters "fragments" is from 1630s.