shat·ter

[shat-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to break (something) into pieces, as by a blow.
2.
to damage, as by breaking or crushing: ships shattered by storms.
3.
to impair or destroy (health, nerves, etc.): The incident shattered his composure.
4.
to weaken, destroy, or refute (ideas, opinions, etc.): He wanted to shatter her illusions.
verb (used without object)
5.
to be broken into fragments or become weak or insubstantial.
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to run away hurriedly; flee.
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noun
6.
Usually, shatters. fragments made by shattering.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English schateren < ?; cf. scatter

Related forms
shat·ter·er, noun
shat·ter·ing·ly, adverb
non·shat·ter, noun
non·shat·ter·ing, adjective
un·shat·tered, adjective

Synonyms
1. shiver, split, crack. See break.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To shatter
Collins
World English Dictionary
shatter (ˈʃætə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to break or be broken into many small pieces
2.  (tr) to impair or destroy: his nerves were shattered by the torture
3.  (tr) to dumbfound or thoroughly upset: she was shattered by the news
4.  informal (tr) to cause to be tired out or exhausted
5.  an obsolete word for scatter
 
—n
6.  obsolete, dialect or (usually plural) a fragment
 
[C12: perhaps obscurely related to scatter]
 
'shatterer
 
—n
 
'shattering
 
—adj
 
'shatteringly
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shatter
early 14c., probably a variant of M.E. scateren (see scatter). Cf. O.Du. schetteren Low Ger. schateren.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The euro zone could shatter into different pieces, or a large block in the
  north and a fragmented south.
The euro zone could shatter into different pieces, or a large block in the
  north and a fragmented south.
Similarly, if an asteroid is small enough to shatter from a nuke, maybe a
  kinetic energy projectile isn't such a good idea either.
Even a small amount of doubt is enough to shatter consensus.
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