shatters

The glass shatters on the floor.

Definition

1. Noun (plural only):

   • Fragments or pieces resulting from a violent break: "shatters" refers to small, sharp pieces into which something breaks when it is smashed or shattered.

     • The vase fell and broke into shatters. (The vase broke into tiny, fragmented pieces.)

2. Verb (third-person singular simple present of "shatter"):

   • To break violently into pieces: "shatters" describes the action of something breaking apart suddenly and forcefully.

     • The window shatters when hit by a rock. (The window breaks into many pieces on impact.)
   • To destroy or ruin completely: Figuratively, "shatters" means to cause something to end or collapse, such as hopes, dreams, or plans.

     • The news shatters her confidence. (The news destroys her self-assurance entirely.)

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He swept up the shatters of the broken mirror. (He cleaned up the tiny fragments from the mirror.)
  • The glass fell and left shatters all over the floor. (Small, sharp pieces scattered everywhere.)

• Verb:

  • The hammer shatters the ice with one blow. (The hammer breaks the ice into fragments.)
  • His betrayal shatters their friendship. (His disloyalty completely destroys their relationship.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go into shatters": to break into fragments.

  • The old windowpane went into shatters during the storm. (The window broke into many small pieces.)

• "to reduce to shatters": to smash something completely.

  • The explosion reduced the building to shatters. (The blast destroyed the building into tiny fragments.)

Variants and Related Words

• Shatter (verb, base form): to break violently.

  • The glass will shatter if you drop it. (The glass will break into pieces.)

• Shattered (adjective): broken into pieces; emotionally devastated.

  • She felt shattered after the accident. (She felt emotionally destroyed.)

• Shattering (adjective): causing devastation or fragmentation.

  • It was a shattering experience. (It was an extremely upsetting event.)

Synonyms

• Fragments: small, broken pieces.

  • The floor was covered in fragments of glass. (Similar to shatters, but less specific to violent breaking.)

• Shards: sharp pieces of broken glass, pottery, or metal.

  • Shards of the bottle lay on the ground. (Sharp fragments, often used for glass or ceramic.)

• Pieces: general term for parts of a broken object.

  • The toy broke into many pieces. (Parts of the object.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Shatter into: to break so that something becomes many pieces.
  • The plate shattered into a thousand pieces. (The plate broke into numerous fragments.)

Related Idioms

• Shatter someone's world: to completely upset or destroy someone's life or beliefs.

  • The diagnosis shattered her world. (The medical news devastated her life.)

• Shatter a record: to break or surpass a previous record by a large margin.

  • The athlete shattered the world record. (The athlete beat the record by a significant amount.)