Shatter

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: shat=ter

CIDE DICTIONARY

Shatter, v. t. [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.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  "A monarchy was shattered to pieces, and divided amongst revolted subjects."  [1913 Webster]
•  To disorder; to derange; to render unsound; as, to be shattered in intellect; his constitution was shattered; his hopes were shattered.  [1913 Webster]

  "A man of a loose, volatile, and shattered humor."  [1913 Webster]
•  To scatter about.  [1913 Webster]

  "Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year."  [1913 Webster]

Shatter, v. i. 

 To be broken into fragments; to fall or crumble to pieces by any force applied.  [1913 Webster]
"Some fragile bodies break but where the force is; some shatter and fly in many places."  [1913 Webster]

Shatter, n. 

 A fragment of anything shattered; -- used chiefly or soley in the phrase into shatters; as, to break a glass into shatters.  Swift.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Shatter, v.
1 tr. & intr. break suddenly in pieces.
2 tr. severely damage or utterly destroy (shattered hopes).
3 tr. greatly upset or discompose.
4 tr. (usu. as shattered adj.) exhaust.

Derivative

shatterer n. shattering adj. shatteringly adv. shatter-proof adj.

Etymology

ME, rel. to SCATTER

THESAURUS

Shatter

agitate, annihilate, atomize, blast, break, break into pieces, break to pieces, break up, burst, clack, clatter, cleave, clitter, confound, confuse, crack, crash, craze, crunch, crush, cut to pieces, dash, daze, decimate, deject, dement, demolish, depress, derange, destroy, devastate, diffuse, disassemble, disintegrate, dismantle, disperse, disrupt, distract, disturb, drive insane, drive mad, fall to pieces, fission, fracture, fragment, frenzy, grind, loot, mad, madden, make mad, make mincemeat of, mince, overcome, overwhelm, pash, perturb, pick to pieces, pull in pieces, pull to pieces, pulverize, rattle, raze, reduce to rubble, rend, rive, ruin, scatter, send mad, shake up, shard, shattery, shiver, smash, smash up, smatter, snap, splinter, split, squash, squish, stun, stupefy, sunder, take apart, tear apart, tear to pieces, tear to shreds, tear to tatters, throw, torpedo, total, trouble, unbalance, unbuild, undermine, undo, unhinge, unmake, unnerve, unsettle, upset, wrack, wrack up, wreck

ROGET THESAURUS

Shatter

Disjunction

VB be disjoined, come off, fall off, come to pieces, fall to pieces, peel off, get loose, disjoin, disconnect, disengage, disunite, dissociate, dispair, divorce, part, dispart, detach, separate, cut off, rescind, segregate, set apart, keep apart, insulate, isolate, throw out of gear, cut adrift, loose, unloose, undo, unbind, unchain, unlock, unpack, unravel, disentangle, set free, sunder, divide, subdivide, sever, dissever, abscind, circumcise, cut, incide, incise, saw, snip, nib, nip, cleave, rive, rend, slit, split, splinter, chip, crack, snap, break, tear, burst, rend, rend asunder, rend in twain, wrench, rupture, shatter, shiver, cranch, crunch, craunch, chop, cut up, rip up, hack, hew, slash, whittle, haggle, hackle, discind, lacerate, scamble, mangle, gash, hash, slice, cut up, carve, dissect, anatomize, dislimb, take to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, tear to pieces, tear to tatters, tear piecemeal, tear limb from limb, divellicate, skin, disintegrate, dismember, disbranch, disband, disperse, dislocate, disjoint, break up, mince, comminute, apportion, part, part company, separate, leave.

Impotence

VB be impotent, not have a leg to stand on, vouloir rompre l'anguille au genou, vouloir prendre la lune avec les dents, collapse, faint, swoon, fall into a swoon, drop, go by the board, go by the wayside, go up in smoke, end in smoke, render powerless, deprive of power, disable, disenable, disarm, incapacitate, disqualify, unfit, invalidate, deaden, cramp, tie the hands, double up, prostrate, paralyze, muzzle, cripple, becripple, maim, lame, hamstring, draw the teeth of, throttle, strangle, garrotte, garrote, ratten, silence, sprain, clip the wings of, put hors de combat, spike the guns, take the wind out of one's sails, scotch the snake, put a spoke in one's wheel, break the neck, break the back, unhinge, unfit, put out of gear, unman, unnerve, enervate, emasculate, castrate, geld, alter, neuter, sterilize, fix, shatter, exhaust, weaken.

Destruction

VB be destroyed, perish, fall to the ground, tumble, topple, go to pieces, fall to pieces, break up, crumble to dust, go to the dogs, go to the wall, go to smash, go to shivers, go to wreck, go to pot, go to wrack and ruin, go by the board, go all to smash, be all over, be all up, be all with, totter to its fall, destroy, do away with, make away with, nullify, annual, sacrifice, demolish, tear up, overturn, overthrow, overwhelm, upset, subvert, put an end to, seal the doom of, do in, do for, dish, undo, break up, cut up, break down, cut down, pull down, mow down, blow down, beat down, suppress, quash, put down, do a job on, cut short, take off, blot out, dispel, dissipate, dissolve, consume, smash, crash, quell, squash, squelch, crumple up, shatter, shiver, batter to pieces, tear to pieces, crush to pieces, cut to pieces, shake to pieces, pull to pieces, pick to pieces, laniate, nip, tear to rags, tear to tatters, crush to atoms, knock to atoms, ruin, strike out, throw over, knock down over, fell, sink, swamp, scuttle, wreck, shipwreck, engulf, ingulf, submerge, lay in ashes, lay in ruins, sweep away, erase, wipe out, expunge, raze, level with the dust, level with the ground, waste, atomize, vaporize, deal destruction, desolate, devastate, lay waste, ravage gut, disorganize, dismantle, devour, swallow up, sap, mine, blast, bomb, blow to smithereens, drop the big one, confound, exterminate, extinguish, quench, annihilate, snuff out, put out, stamp out, trample out, lay in the dust, trample in the dust, prostrate, tread under foot, crush under foot, trample under foot, lay the ax to the root of, make short work of, make clean sweep of, make mincemeat of, cut up root and branch, chop into pieces, cut into ribbons, fling to the winds, scatter to the winds, throw overboard, strike at the root of, sap the foundations of, spring a mine, blow up, ravage with fire and sword, cast to the dogs, eradicate.