declutter
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to remove mess or clutter from (a place).
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to organize and prioritize (one’s commitments, material possessions, etc.).
Declutter your calendar and spend more time with your family.
verb
Usage
What does declutter mean? Whether tossing out tchotchkes from your living room or clearing your mind of pointless thoughts, to declutter is to remove messes—or clutter—from a space. Physically, decluttering involves getting rid of unnecessary things, such as unused clothes crowding a closet, to tidy up a room or area. Figuratively, decluttering involves organizing and making priorities to streamline one’s life.
Etymology
Origin of declutter
Explanation
To declutter is to tidy up a mess, especially by getting rid of objects. You might declutter your bedroom by donating your old clothes and recycling those magazines you never read. Clutter was originally a verb, used in the 1500s to mean "collect in heaps" or "form clots." Declutter is a much younger word, dating from the mid-20th century. When you clean and organize a space, removing extra stuff that you really don't need, you declutter. This can mean pulling out all your sweaters and giving the ones you never wear to your younger sibling, or disassembling your collection of cat memorabilia and only keeping your three favorite objects.
Vocabulary lists containing declutter
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: de-
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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.
But, fellow Declutter Hub co-founder Lesley Spellman warns that the lure of upselling can be a double-edged sword.
From BBC • Sep. 15, 2025
Declutter the house and patch up any holes and scratches left behind from taken-down artwork.
From Slate • Mar. 9, 2022
Declutter your own items and let her see you doing that.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 4, 2021
Yet in spite of my relative household competence, I eagerly embraced Gretchen Rubin's new book, "Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room For Happiness."
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2019
In his marketing class, Ware, spiffy in a maroon sport jacket with the college seal emblazoned on his chest, copies a list of “Eight Ways to Declutter Your Mind” that his professor is reading aloud.
From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2015
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
