Dictionary

shatter en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈʃatəɾ/ (Scotland)
• /ˈʃætə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈʃɛtə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈʃatə/ (British, Northern-England, Southern, Standard, Wales)
• /ˈʃætɚ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈʃæɾɚ] (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English schateren (“to scatter, dash”), an assibilated form of Middle English scateren ("to scatter"; see scatter), from Old English scaterian, from Proto-Germanic *skat- (“to smash, scatter”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Cognate with Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”), Low German schateren, Albanian shkatërroj (“to destroy, devastate”). Doublet of scatter.

Meanings

1. (archaic, countable) A fragment of anything shattered.
   • it will fall upon the glass of the sconce, and break it into shatters 1731 (date written; published 1745), [Jonathan] Swift, Directions to Servants […], London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], and M. Cooper, […], →OCLC:
   • to break a glass into shatters
2. (countable, uncountable) A (pine) needle.
   • My usual habit is, as soon as I get my wheat trodden out, and my corn secured in the fall, to litter my farm yard (and if my cultivation is far off, I select some warm spot near the field) with leaves and pine shatters, (preferring the former) ... 1834, The Southern Agriculturist and Register of Rural Affairs: Adapted to the Southern Section of the United States, page 421:
   • Grandpa snapped his fingers. "Consarn it all!" he sputtered. "I plumb forgot the pine shatters. Paul and Maureen, you gather some nice smelly pine shatters from off 'n the floor of the woods. Nothin' makes a better cushion for pony feet as pine shatters ..." 2012, Marguerite Henry, Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteague, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 95:
   • They are preserved in cellars, or out of doors in kilns. The method of fixing them is to raise the ground a few inches, where they are to be placed, and cover with pine shatters to the depth of six inches or more. 1859, Samuel W. Cole, The New England Farmer, page 277:
3. (countable, uncountable) A scattering, a smattering; a quantity of something scattered, like a sprinkling of seeds or a shower of rain.
   • [He] steps out into the rain. It takes his eyes a moment to adjust, to get used to the misty glow of the moon above them, to take in the wild look of their yard, and the shatter of rain. The insects have escaped it at least, hidden beneath the cover of grass and foliage, beneath the low-hanging branches of the jacarandas and poincianas. Birds huddle there as well,[…] 2025 January 7, Sophie Overett, The Rabbits, Pushkin Press, →ISBN:
   • There's a tidy shatter of sin already in the Fee, says Parson. Ah, says I, but us can't all be saints like yourself, Parson. 1931, Gerald Bullett, Marden Fee, page 99:
4. (slang, uncountable) A form of concentrated cannabis.

Forms

Deriveds

antishatter · shatterbox · nonshatter · shatterpated · shatterable · shatterer · shattery · ear-shattering · unshatter · shatterproof · shatter the ice · shatter cone · shatter attack · earthshattering · shatterbrained · earth-shattering · heart-shattering · shattercane

Synonyms

shat

Translations (7)

de Nadel (a (pine) needle) · pt estilhaço (a fragment of anything shattered) · de Stückchen (a fragment of anything shattered) · bg отломки (a fragment of anything shattered) · de Kiefernnadel (a (pine) needle) · de Splitter (a fragment of anything shattered) · pt caco (a fragment of anything shattered)

shatter en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈʃatəɾ/ (Scotland)
• /ˈʃætə/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈʃɛtə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈʃatə/ (British, Northern-England, Southern, Standard, Wales)
• /ˈʃætɚ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈʃæɾɚ] (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English schateren (“to scatter, dash”), an assibilated form of Middle English scateren ("to scatter"; see scatter), from Old English scaterian, from Proto-Germanic *skat- (“to smash, scatter”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Cognate with Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”), Low German schateren, Albanian shkatërroj (“to destroy, devastate”). Doublet of scatter.

Meanings

1. (ergative) Of brittle solid materials (like glass or ice), to violently break into pieces.
   • The miners used dynamite to shatter rocks.
   • The old oak tree has been shattered by lightning.
   • a high-pitched voice that could shatter glass
2. (transitive) To destroy, disable.
3. (transitive) To dispirit or emotionally defeat.
   • Your death will shatter him. Which is what I want. Actually, I would prefer to kill him. 1984, Martyn Burke, The commissar's report,, page 36:
   • to be shattered in intellect
   • to have a shattered constitution
   • a man of a loose, volatile, and shatter'd humour 1687, John Norris, Of Seriousness:
   • to have shattered hopes
   • The marriage, of course, was long broken but Munoz knew that asking her for a divorce would shatter her. 2006, A. W. Maldonado, Luis Muñoz Marín: Puerto Rico's democratic revolution,, page 163:
   • I don't mean to shatter your ego, but this ain't the first time I've had gun pointed at me. 1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction, spoken by Jules (Samuel L. Jackson):
   • A CAT scan revealed she had an inoperable brain tumor. The news shattered Michele's mother. 1992 June 23, Rose Gradym, “Elvis Cures Teen's Brain Cancer!”, in Weekly World News, volume 13, number 38, page 41:
4. (intransitive) Of seeds: to disperse (become dispersed) upon ripening.
   • Harvesting is done much as with alfalfa, but alsike seed is small and shatters if it is not handled carefully. 1961, Yearbook of Agriculture, page 175:
5. (obsolete, transitive) To scatter about.
   • Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year. 1637 (date written; published 1638), John Milton, “Lycidas”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
6. (intransitive, of rain) To fall sometimes connoting hard, as if to smash something, other times light and dispersed.
   • The heavens opened up, and the rain shattered down. She trailed a finger down the window, following drops of water as they splashed and wept down the pane. 2008 April 29, Shana Abé, The Last Mermaid: A Novel, Bantam, →ISBN:
   • Bulletlike rain shattered down. Instantly, Willy was soaked to the skin. Then her right foot skidded out before her, and she felt her balance begin to go. Inevitably and with shocking swiftness came the moment when her body obeyed gravity[…] 2006 March 28, Peter Straub, In the Night Room: A Novel, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 190:
   • ... rain shattered down on the pub windows,[…] 2022 May 28, Ian Hey, No Lift and No Stairs, Book Guild Publishing, →ISBN:
   • He learned forward […] and the sleeting rain shattered down like diamonds from the brim of his hat. 2015 July 7, Devon Monk, Cold Copper, Penguin, →ISBN, page 36:

Forms

Synonyms

shiver

Translations (105)

it andare in frantumi ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es quebrantarse ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · sh smrskati ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · cmn 粉碎 ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · an estrelar-se ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · qu thuñiy ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · mi pākarukaru ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · ka მსხვრევა ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ru разбива́ться ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es hacerse trizas ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es hacer añicos ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es derrumbar (to destroy or disable) · bg разбивам ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fi pirstoa ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ru разби́ться ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · it frantumare ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · egy gm-m-gm-m-Z9 ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esfargallar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · nl verbrijzelen ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · kk талқандау ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · sv krossa ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · sv krascha ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fi pirstoutua ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es cachar[se] ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es esclafar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es reventar[se] ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fi särkeä ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl lascar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fr mettre en pièces ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · bg разтрошавам ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fr briser ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · el κατατρίβω ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · el καταστρέφω ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · de zersplittern ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · qu thuñiy ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · el καταργώ ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · gl espitallar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · la frangō ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es astillarse ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · cmn 使碎裂 ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fr réduire en miettes ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es reventar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esmiñacar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · it sbriciolarsi ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · de zerschmettern ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es quebrantar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fa کراشیدن ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fr éclater ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fi rikkoa ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · de zum Zerspringen bringen ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · quc k'ajik ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · sv krasa ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · egy gm-m-gm-m-Z9 ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · eo frakasi ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esmiuzar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ru разбива́ть ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · sa रुजति ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es desmoronar (to destroy or disable) · nl verbrijzelen ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · uk розтро́щувати ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · uk розтрощи́ти ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · cmn 使破碎 ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ca esmicolar-se ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es hacer trizas ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · it spaccare ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esborrefar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ru разби́ть ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es astillar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · sv krossa ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · el κατατρίβω ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · quc k'ajixik ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · pt estilhaçar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · sh smrskati ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · it fracassare ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · grc σκεδάννυμι ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fi särkyä ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · es estallar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · gl trizar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl mastrigallar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · pdt tweibräakjen ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl relar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · de zerspringen ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · uk трощи́ти ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ka მსხვრევა ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · it sconquassare ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fr voler en éclats ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · gl esfarelar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esmoiñar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · bg раздробявам ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · pt estilhaçar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · sw kuvunja ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es cachar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · el συντρίβω ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ota پارچهلانمق ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · an estrelar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · es hacerse añicos ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · fi rikkoutua ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · la comminuō ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · fr fracasser ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · ca esmicolar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · nl aan diggelen slaan ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · kk быт-шыт қылу ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · gl esnaquizar ((intransitive) to violently break into pieces) · gl esbroar ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces) · el θρυμματίζω ((transitive) to smash, to violently break into tiny pieces)