to shatter
72
2.8
- verb
- /ˈʃætər/
:
hacer añicos
- Its fingers tighten and the jar shatters, mayonnaise spattering to the floor in big round globules.
- shatter a glass
- shatter a window
It fell off, swung down, shattered on the ground, ruined my concert.
- It fell off, swung down, shattered on the ground, ruined my concert.
- I told her it shattered into three pieces.
- I go down, shatters my orbital on my good eye.
- I mean, it's like, it's like the kind of sound that can, you know, shatter glass, that kind of thing.
- Really hard so it didn't shatter when I bit off the towel.
- Store rash on Bettis cause a snack table to shatter, so get the Doritos.
Examples
-
The exposed part of the window above him shatters, raining glass on his head.
Fiction book (1992) -
The roof warps, Spanish tiles shatter, and rain down on the ground.
Fiction book (1990) -
Okay, but what if my phone just shatters into a million pieces?
-
America's forces have the technology, training, and raw power to shatter conventional enemies.
Academic text (2000) -
I have no idea how this happened, but it just shattered and it bounced up.
-
When it hits the furniture, it shatters in shards all over the floor.
Fiction book (1991) -
Its breath could wither trees, scorch grass, and shatter stones.
-
The fans pelted the bus with bricks, stones, and debris, shattering its windows and injuring several players.
Academic text (2010) -
The plexiglass case finally shatters, and the penguin falls through, landing atop Gotham City.
Fiction book (1992) -
He accidentally dropped the glass, and it shattered into tiny pieces all over the floor.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To change a large bill into smaller bills
311
2.1
To break something into many pieces using great force
225
2.9
To badly damage or destroy something
177
3.4
To break into small pieces or become weaker and collapse
167
2.3
Break suddenly and completely, often with a sharp noise
164
1.4
Break open suddenly because of pressure inside
95
6.8
To break open suddenly and violently
91
4.7
To break a hard object, for example a bone or rock
66
2.7
Separate something into smaller pieces
44
3.1
To break into pieces or fall into separate parts
39
3.7
To break into small pieces or make something break apart
35
5.8
Fall apart into smaller pieces or stop working together
34
5.8
To break something into pieces by hitting it hard
26
3.0
To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group
21
3.9
To break into many small, sharp pieces like wood or glass
5
4.7
To damage something very badly so it breaks into pieces
To break something into many small pieces
To divide something into parts, for example by cutting it or by sharing it among people
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
Say or do something that makes people feel less nervous and start talking
How Broken
- US
8
7.4
72
2.8
311
2.1
∞
1.0
311
1.0
130
2.1
Surface Forms
Etymology
Shatter comes from old words that meant 'to break into pieces'. Imagine a glass falling and suddenly turning into many sharp pieces; so shatter means to break suddenly into many small pieces.