clutter
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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British Dialect. to run in disorder; move with bustle and confusion.
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British Dialect. to make a clatter.
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to speak so rapidly and inexactly that distortions of sound and phrasing result.
noun
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a disorderly heap or assemblage; litter.
It's impossible to find anything in all this clutter.
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a state or condition of confusion.
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confused noise; clatter.
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an echo or echoes on a radar screen that do not come from the target and can be caused by such factors as atmospheric conditions, objects other than the target, chaff, and jamming of the radar signal.
verb
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to strew or amass (objects) in a disorderly manner
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(intr) to move about in a bustling manner
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(intr) to chatter or babble
noun
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a disordered heap or mass of objects
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a state of disorder
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unwanted echoes that confuse the observation of signals on a radar screen
Other Word Forms
- overclutter verb (used with object)
- unclutter verb (used with object)
- uncluttered adjective
Etymology
Origin of clutter
1550–60; variant of clotter (now obsolete), equivalent to clot + -er 6
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The general clutter that usually hid the floor appeared to have been whipped around with a giant eggbeater.
From Literature
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We all accumulate stuff over the years that can make our homes feel cluttered.
From BBC
Every surface is cluttered with clothes and stacks of books and magazines.
From Literature
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Another insider says the changes make sense because the "landscape is cluttered", with too many different national-level initiatives trying to tackle different kinds of problems.
From BBC
He has a beautiful home, a dog, and enough antiques and collectibles stored up over a lifetime that he doesn’t need more “stuff” to clutter his home.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.