clutter

American  

[kluht-er] / ˈklʌt ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to fill or litter with things in a disorderly manner.

   All kinds of papers cluttered the top of his desk.

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verb (used without object)

1. British Dialect. to run in disorder; move with bustle and confusion.

2. British Dialect. to make a clatter.

3. to speak so rapidly and inexactly that distortions of sound and phrasing result.

noun

1. a disorderly heap or assemblage; litter.

   It's impossible to find anything in all this clutter.

   Synonyms:

   jumble, disorder, mess

2. a state or condition of confusion.

3. confused noise; clatter.

4. 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.

clutter British  

/ ˈklʌtə /

verb

1. to strew or amass (objects) in a disorderly manner

2. (intr) to move about in a bustling manner

3. (intr) to chatter or babble

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noun

1. a disordered heap or mass of objects

2. a state of disorder

3. 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

Explanation

The word clutter can mean a messy jumble of objects. The disorganized clutter of shoes, hats, shirts, belts, jackets, and pants makes it impossible to find a thing in your closet! Clutter can describe all those disorderly random things in your purse, but it can also refer to the random echoes that show up on a radar screen. The echos mix with other desired signals and can make it hard to track everything. As a verb, clutter is what you do when you fill up a space with a crazy mix of objects. You may clutter up the attic when you finally clean out that closet!

Example Sentences

Yet one of Ms. Lewin’s main arguments is that writing gets done in transitory and chaotic spaces, too: in cafes, at kitchen tables, on the train and amid a fair amount of clutter and detritus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

A tube of lipstick tossed onto a scatter of counter clutter.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

In other areas of the state, the telecommunications companies have worked with the electric utilities to bury all the lines, eliminating the visual clutter.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

He said the airport has removed some seating, telephone boxes, and other "clutter" in Terminal 3 and that it feels less crowded as a result, even though there are more people.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Kristi’s garage is full of boxes, bikes, rakes, a snowblower, and a clutter of other things.

From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Related Words

• litter
• muddle
• strew