clutter
Americanverb (used with object)
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clutters,
present (3rd person singular)
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cluttered,
past participle, past
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cluttering
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
clutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cluttered,
past participle, past
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cluttering
present participle
-
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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clutters
plural
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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
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cluttersimple
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clutterssimple
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have clutteredperfect
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has clutteredperfect
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am clutteringprogressive
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are clutteringprogressive
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is clutteringprogressive
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have been clutteringperfect progressive
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has been clutteringperfect progressive
Past
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clutteredsimple
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had clutteredperfect
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was clutteringprogressive
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were clutteringprogressive
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had been clutteringperfect progressive
Future
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!
Vocabulary lists containing clutter
Achievement First 5th Grade IA 1 Words
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"A Village After Dark" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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Sula
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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.
See Examples For:
Otherwise you’ve just traded physical clutter for digital clutter.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
And it’s not by accident that coastal habitats are aggressively protected and most of the shoreline is free of mega resorts and architectural clutter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
"Well, all clutter does is look back at us - doesn't it?"
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
It should look calm, refined and elegant, with a soft neutral palette, large typography, no clutter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
I know this is weird, but I make my bed every single day, even though the rest of my room is a hellscape of paper and laundry and books and clutter.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
Moreover, could it actually be a good thing that the 5th Circuit clutters SCOTUS’ docket with so many obviously wrong decisions?
From Slate ● Jun. 12, 2026
Vanderbilt struggles to find a tone and clutters the film with extra story lines to diminishing results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025
Retrotransposons, or retroelements, are pieces of DNA that, when transcribed to RNA, code for enzymes that copy RNA back into DNA in the genome -- a self-serving cycle that clutters the genome with retrotransposon DNA.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024
A jumble of rectangular timber pieces the size of railroad ties clutters the hillside below, evidence of their morning’s work.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 26, 2023
Booth checks to make sure that nothing clutters the passage.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
Every user I knew complained it was inconsistent, illogical, cluttered, had clunky navigation and ignored accessibility standards.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
She thinks iPods have become popular again because of their "beautiful design" and the way the music player is "the first bit of technology really catering to humans with a less cluttered user interface".
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Their bedroom may be cluttered with all manner of diversion and playthings, but what they really want is that shiny, as-yet unattained object — Rick Caruso! — beckoning from behind glass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2026
“After all,” he says, looking around his cluttered workshop, “what are they going to do with all this stuff?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
The house is in a state of disarray, or as much disarray as a house crammed from floor to ceiling with antiques and books and objets d’art can be in its inherent cozy, cluttered way.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
I asked Carter what she thinks are the four most common cluttering mistakes - and how you can fix them.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
You don’t have to worry about cluttering your living space with titles you’ve read once and may never read again.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2026
In our experience, seamless connecting and no cables cluttering the center console are reasons enough to insist on wireless smartphone interfacing.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
The unloved product was shoved into every available online space, cluttering up the digital landscape with junk and hoaxes while promising a far-off profit and a future of easy living.
From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2025
"These old folks had all their stuff cluttering up the sidewalk and we cleared the street . . ." "You mean you're interfering with an eviction," he called, starting through the crowd.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
