shattered glass

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The many sharp pieces left when a glass object or window breaks suddenly into fragments.

   Grammar: Treated as a mass noun: shattered glass was everywhere.

   Patterns

   • shattered glass on something
   • clean up shattered glass

   Shattered glass covered the sidewalk after the storm.

   Please wear thick gloves when you sweep up shattered glass.

   The car's window left shattered glass across the back seat.

2. 2noununcountablefigurative

   Something once whole and valued that has been ruined and cannot easily be repaired, used figuratively.

   Grammar: Used as a metaphor, often with like: trust like shattered glass.

   Patterns

   • like shattered glass

   After the lie, their friendship lay like shattered glass.

   Their hopes were shattered glass after the closure was announced.

   He tried to piece together the shattered glass of his reputation.

Common combinations

sweep up shattered glass

She swept up shattered glass from the kitchen floor.

a pile of shattered glass

There was a pile of shattered glass under the window.

walk on shattered glass

The chorus warns not to walk on shattered glass.

shattered glass everywhere

After the party there was shattered glass everywhere.

picked from shattered glass

The photographer picked her way through shattered glass.

Synonyms and how they differ

broken glass

This is the plain everyday phrase, whereas shattered glass suggests it burst into many small pieces.

glass fragments

This is more technical and neutral, as in a police report.

shards

This stresses sharp, large pieces rather than the glass as a mass.

splinters

This suggests thin, needle-like slivers and is less common for glass.

Opposites

Word family

shatter verb

to break suddenly into many pieces

shattering adjective

extremely upsetting or powerful

glass noun

a hard, brittle clear material

glassy adjective

smooth and shiny like glass

Commonly confused: shattered glass or stained glass?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “shattered glass”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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