shatterverb
uk/ˈʃæt.ər/us/ˈʃæt̬.ɚ/[ I or T ] to (cause something to) break suddenly into very small pieces:
The glass shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
His leg was shattered in the accident.
[ T ] to end or severely damage something:
The book shattered all her illusions about the Romans.
Noisy motorbikes shattered the peace/calm/stillness.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Tearing and breaking into pieces
- apart
- asunder
- bobble
- break (sth) off
- breakage
- catch
- fall apart
- flake
- fragment
- fragmented
- fray
- frayed
- in ribbons idiom
- knacker
- pull sth apart
- rent
- rip
- shear
- split
- tear sth up
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Damaging and spoiling
-shattering
suffix uk/ -ʃæt.ər.ɪŋ/us/ -ʃæt̬.ɚ.ɪŋ/
a confidence-shattering defeat (= one which destroys confidence)
See also
earth-shattering