clatter

[ klat-er ]

/ ˈklæt ər /

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See synonyms for: clatter / clattered / clattery on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to make a loud, rattling sound, as that produced by hard objects striking rapidly one against the other: The shutters clattered in the wind.

to move rapidly with such a sound: The iron-wheeled cart clattered down the street.

to talk fast and noisily; chatter: They clattered on and on about their children.

verb (used with object)

to cause to clatter: clattering the pots and pans in the sink.

noun

a rattling noise or series of rattling noises: The stagecoach made a terrible clatter going over the wooden bridge.

noisy disturbance; din; racket.

noisy talk; din of voices: They had to shout over the clatter at the cocktail party.

idle talk; gossip.

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Origin of clatter

before 1050; Middle English clateren,Old English clatr- (in clatrunge); cognate with Dutch klateren to rattle; see -er⁶

OTHER WORDS FROM clatter

clat·ter·er, nounclat·ter·ing·ly, adverbclat·ter·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clatter in a sentence

They clattered through the outlying bazaar without disturbing a soul.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The lone pine on the stone cap of Gander Knob waved its farewell, and we clattered down the long slope into the great world.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
We heard Aaron Kallaberger's stentorian tones as we clattered around the bend.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
The sword clattered from his hand and rolled, with a pendulum-like movement, to the feet of Garnache.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

Wilder flung a slipper across the room that missed Tootles head and clattered among the paint-brushes.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for clatter

clatter

/ (ˈklætə) /

verb

to make or cause to make a rattling noise, esp as a result of movement

(intr) to chatter

noun

a rattling sound or noise

a noisy commotion, such as one caused by loud chatter

Derived forms of clatter

clatterer, nounclatteringly, adverbclattery, adjective

Word Origin for clatter

Old English clatrung clattering (gerund); related to Dutch klateren to rattle, German klatschen to smack, Norwegian klattra to knock

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

clatter

Origin of clatter

OTHER WORDS FROM clatter

Words related to clatter

How to use clatter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clatter

Derived forms of clatter

Word Origin for clatter