shatter Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb break into many pieces
    • The wine glass shattered
  2. verb damage or destroy
    • The news of her husband's death shattered her life
  3. verb cause to break into many pieces
    • shatter the plate

WordNet

Shat"ter transitive verb
Etymology
OE. schateren, scateren, to scatter, to dash, AS. scateran; cf. D. schateren to crack, to make a great noise, OD. schetteren to scatter, to burst, to crack. Cf. Scatter.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Shattered ; present participle & verbal noun Shattering
Definitions
  1. To break at once into many pieces; to dash, burst, or part violently into fragments; to rend into splinters; as, an explosion shatters a rock or a bomb; too much steam shatters a boiler; an oak is shattered by lightning.
    A monarchy was shattered to pieces, and divided amongst revolted subjects. Locke.
  2. To disorder; to derange; to render unsound; as, to be shattered in intellect; his constitution was shattered; his hopes were shattered.
    A man of a loose, volatile, and shattered humor. Norris.
  3. To scatter about. Obs.
    Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year. Milton.
Shat"ter intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be broken into fragments; to fal or crumble to pieces by any force applied.
    Some fragile bodies break but where the force is; some shatter and fly in many places. Bacon.
Shat"ter noun
Definitions
  1. A fragment of anything shattered; -- used chiefly or soley in the phrase into shatters; as, to break a glass into shatters. Swift.

Webster 1913