clutter

[ kluht-er ]

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.

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

/ ˈklʌtə /

verb

1. usually troften foll byup to strew or amass (objects) in a disorderly manner
2. intr to move about in a bustling manner
3. intr to chatter or babble

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 Words From

• over·clutter verb (used with object)
• un·clutter verb (used with object)
• un·cluttered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutter¹

1550–60; variant of clotter (now obsolete), equivalent to clot + -er ⁶

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutter¹

C15 clotter, from clotteren to clot

Example Sentences

If you only need your monitor to be raised slightly, or if you really want a monitor stand to hide some of your sticky note clutter, this Satechi Aluminum Universal Unibody Monitor is a great choice.

From Popular-Science

For example, you can split two tabs to take up half of the browser window each, or stack them on top of each other to reduce clutter inside the app.

From Popular-Science

Learn more about our planet, gaze at stunning images, and wow your friends while keeping clutter to a minimum.

From Popular-Science

Also, 70% agree that subscribing to products and services frees people from the burden of ownership, including maintenance, clutter and declining value.

From Digiday

When not in use, this wheel will fit nicely in the included storage base, which reduces clutter and extends the life of the blade.

From Popular-Science

Magazines are the only thing in my apartment that qualify as clutter.

From The Daily Beast

Small wooden shacks filled with canned goods and phone cards clutter the sidewalks.

From The Daily Beast

According to Wynd, “Freddie Mercury once said he wanted to lead a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter.”

From The Daily Beast

Using the above apps can cut out the clutter, get you the best deals right away, and streamline your travels.

From The Daily Beast

Picking real targets from false targets and clutter is still down to operators.

From The Daily Beast

Mayo noted that it was heaped full of spare cable and held the usual odds and ends of a clutter-box.

From Project Gutenberg

They have been retained in the introductory section but were omitted from the main text to reduce visual clutter.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a clutter of odds and ends of cargo that had been spilled from an upset surfboat the day before.

From Project Gutenberg

The red-roofed buildings of Cavite lay out on the end of the sickle like a clutter of bleached bones cast up by the tide.

From Project Gutenberg

That which was winsome was unwinding and a clutter a single clutter showed the black white.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• litter
• muddle
• strew