shatters

Shatters is the third-person singular present tense of the verb shatter, meaning to break suddenly into pieces, or to cause something to break in this way. In everyday language it is commonly used to describe objects that fracture explosively, such as glass or ice, as well as more abstract failures or disappointments. The noun form is rarely used; "shattering" or "a shatter" is more common in most contexts.

In materials science and engineering, shattering describes brittle fracture when a material fails under impact or stress. Glass, ceramics, and some crystalline solids can shatter rather than deform plastically. Tempered glass is designed to shatter into small, relatively harmless fragments, reducing the risk of severe injury compared with untreated glass.

In rhetoric and journalism, shatters is used metaphorically to describe sudden, complete disruption of plans, expectations, or reputations. Examples include "the news shatters her credibility" and "the crisis shatters the market." The term is typically followed by an object representing the thing broken and is commonly used in both formal and informal writing.

Related concepts include shattering and brittle fracture, which describe the broader processes of fragmentation and failure in materials and systems. The use of shatters across contexts highlights how the word transfers from physical breaking to metaphorical disruption.