shatter
shatter — 動詞
1. to separate into many small pieces all at once, either on its own or when struck
破碎；打碎
使某物突然碎裂成小片
to separate into many small pieces all at once, either on its own or when struck by something; used especially for hard, rigid materials such as glass, ice, or stone
Jisoo dropped the glass bowl and it shattered on the kitchen floor.
Jisoo 把玻璃碗摔到地上，碗在廚房地板上碎了。
intransitive: object + shatter + prepositional phrase
A loose stone from the hill shattered the car's side window during the storm.
暴風雨中，山上滾落的一塊石頭打碎了車子的側窗。
transitive: subject + shatter + direct object
The old mirror shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces when Henry bumped into it.
Henry 撞到那面舊鏡子，鏡子碎成了幾百片細小的碎片。
Aylin watched the ice under her boots shatter as she crossed the frozen pond.
Aylin 看著腳下的冰在她走過結冰的池塘時碎裂開來。
Tyler accidentally shattered the ceramic plate while drying it with a towel.
Tyler 用毛巾擦盤子時，不小心把陶瓷盤子弄破了。
- smash
suggests more violent force and a loud sound, often with deliberate action
- break
more general — can mean partial or complete damage, not necessarily into many pieces
- splinter
specifically for wood or bone breaking into long thin pieces
- fracture
more formal, often used in medical or geological contexts
文法句型
shatter + object (glass / window / mirror)
object + shatters (intransitive)
shatter + into + (pieces / fragments)
用法筆記
Often used to describe what happens to glass, mirrors, ice, ceramics, and other brittle materials. The intransitive form focuses on the result; the transitive form focuses on the cause.
常見錯誤
2. to put an end to something abstract such as a person's hopes, trust, or confiden
摧毀；破滅
嚴重破壞希望、信任等抽象事物
to put an end to something abstract such as a person's hopes, trust, or confidence, or to cause it serious harm; describes something that is completely ruined or comes to nothing
The bad news shattered the family's hopes for a quick recovery.
壞消息摧毀了這家人對早日康復的希望。
transitive: shatter + hopes / dreams / trust
After Zayd's mistake caused his team to lose the championship match, his confidence was completely shattered.
Zayd 的失誤導致他的隊伍輸掉冠軍賽之後，他的自信心徹底崩潰了。
passive: be shattered (by something)
When the restaurant closed down, Shanti's dream of becoming a chef was completely shattered.
餐廳關門後，Shanti 當主廚的夢想完全破滅了。
The political scandal shattered public faith in the local government for years to come.
這起政治醜聞在未來數年間徹底破壞了民眾對地方政府的信任。
Ignacio's trust in his partner shattered when he discovered the hidden debts.
Ignacio 發現那些隱瞞的債務後，他對伴侶的信任瓦解了。
- destroy
more general and neutral; can apply to both physical and abstract things
- ruin
implies spoiling something so it can no longer function or be enjoyed
- crush
stronger emotional tone, suggests grinding pressure that flattents hopes
- devastate
suggests total emotional destruction, often with lasting grief
- build
to create or develop trust, confidence, or hopes gradually
- strengthen
to make trust, faith, or confidence stronger
- restore
to bring back hopes or trust after they have been lost
文法句型
shatter + abstract noun (hopes / dreams / trust / confidence)
hopes / dreams / trust + shatter (intransitive)
shatter + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often appears with abstract nouns such as hopes, dreams, trust, confidence, illusions, and faith. The passive form ('hopes were shattered') is very common in both speech and writing. Distinguish from verb sense 1 (BREAK INTO PIECES), which refers only to physical breakage.
常見錯誤
shatter — 名詞
1. a very small piece that has broken off from a larger hard object, such as glass,
碎片
物體破裂後的小碎塊
a very small piece that has broken off from a larger hard object, such as glass, stone, or bone
Tariro carefully swept up the shatters of glass from the bathroom floor.
Tariro 小心翼翼地將浴室地板上的玻璃碎片掃起來。
plural: shatters of [material]
Dario found a tiny shatter of blue pottery while digging in the garden.
Dario 在花園挖土時發現一小片藍色陶器的碎片。
singular with specific object
The police collected shatters of bone from the crash site as evidence.
警方從墜機現場收集了骨頭碎塊當作證據。
Folake noticed a shatter of mirror still stuck in the corner of the wooden frame.
Folake 發現木框角落還卡著一小片鏡子的碎片。
Lotte carefully picked up the shatters of a blue ceramic vase from the workshop floor.
Lotte 小心翼翼地從工作室地板上撿起藍色陶瓷花瓶的碎片。
文法句型
a shatter of [material]
shatters of [material]
用法筆記
Less common than 'fragment' or 'shard'. Often used in the plural 'shatters' to refer to scattered pieces from a single broken object.
常見錯誤
2. the state or condition of being shattered, either physically or in terms of plan
破碎狀態
粉碎後的情況或結果
the state or condition of being shattered, either physically or in terms of plans or hopes being completely ruined
After the earthquake, the old temple lay in shatters on the hillside.
地震過後，那座老廟在山坡上成了一片碎瓦殘礫。
fixed phrase: in shatters
Ezra's carefully laid plans were in shatters after the bank refused the loan.
銀行拒絕貸款後，Ezra 精心規劃的計畫全盤破滅。
metaphorical use: plans + in shatters
After the war, the town's factories and schools lay in shatters, with broken roofs and empty streets.
戰後，小鎮的工廠和學校成了一片廢墟，屋頂破損，街道空無一人。
After the false accusations, Walid stood alone in the empty office cafeteria, his reputation in shatters.
不實指控之後，Walid 獨自站在空無一人的公司餐廳裡，他的名譽已毀於一旦。
The once-thriving family business was in shatters after the founder retired.
創辦人退休後，那家曾經生意興隆的家族企業分崩離析。
- wholeness
the state of being fully intact and undamaged
文法句型
in shatters
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed expression 'in shatters', which can describe a physical object (a building in ruins) or an abstract thing (plans or hopes that have failed).
常見錯誤
3. a sudden burst or spray of small pieces produced when something breaks violently
迸散
突然四散的碎片或屑末
a sudden burst or spray of small pieces produced when something breaks violently
A shatter of ice flew across the road as the truck hit the frozen puddle.
卡車撞上結冰的水坑時，一陣碎冰飛散到馬路上。
a shatter of [material] describing burst
The window burst inward with a shatter of glass that covered the dinner table.
窗戶向內爆裂，一陣玻璃碎屑灑落在餐桌上。
When the hammer hit the old windshield, a shatter of glass flew into the air.
鐵鎚擊中那面舊擋風玻璃時，一陣玻璃碎片飛散到空中。
A shatter of glass sprayed across the kitchen when Imran dropped the stack of old bottles.
Imran 摔落那疊舊瓶子時，一陣玻璃碎片噴灑到廚房各處。
A shatter of ice flew off the truck's roof when it hit a low bridge on Trang's street.
卡車在 Trang 住的那條街上撞到低矮橋樑時，一陣碎冰從車頂飛散出來。
文法句型
a shatter of [material]
用法筆記
Rare in everyday language. Used mainly in descriptive or literary writing to emphasise the sudden, explosive nature of a breaking event, especially involving glass or ice.