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Definition of "smithereens" [smith•er•eens]

  • Informal Fragments or splintered pieces; bits: The fragile dish broke into smithereens. (noun-plural)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "smithereens" in a sentence
  • "Blow ... to smithereens is too slangy for formal use; it is used in a quote further on in the Times article, and is the kind of vernacular phrase found in boys adventure comics."
  • ""I think the best use you can put a rattlesnake to is to blow him into smithereens, which is what I am going to do.""
  • "The monkey was literally knocked to "smithereens," and the pieces that still adhered together were daubed all over with mud."