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

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

She felt juggling online subscriptions and keeping track of repayments to lenders was "a lot of mental clutter" and typical budgeting methods did not work for her.

From BBC

We looked through the window at the cluttered interior.

From Literature

And she said stores are being reconfigured with less clutter and clearer visuals, which is making it easier for customers to shop for the new merchandise.

From The Wall Street Journal

Russell stuck his arm out the window, leaving it outstretched as we motored past huge lots—some gated and stately, others cluttered with buildings that appeared to have been thrown together in a hurry.

From Literature

Related Words

• litter
• muddle
• strew