as in to tear
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the little boy tattered that blanket beyond repair by repeatedly yanking on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in shred
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tatter
Nathan Taylor Pemberton, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2020
So where did Ransom’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Kevin Barry, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Verb
Coming down that highway, one’s arrival was confirmed by a row of flag poles holding international flags, tattered and generally ignored.
—Nathan Taylor Pemberton, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2020
So where did Ransom’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Noun
Rourke himself approached the street at this hour in suave array and manic tatters.
—Kevin Barry, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatter
Verb
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Kim tore her labrum in early January but has been cleared to compete in Livigno.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Very heavy ice can potentially tear the gutters off your house.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Every impression on such websites can generate a shred of revenue.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Battle at least has a shred of a fighting chance at influencing Bundle’s choices, but Bill’s resolve not to expose her to the bohemian seediness of the Seven Dials Club collapses in the face of her resolute insistence.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Scott Morrow stickhandled his way into the high slot, ripping a shot that hit Kuemper squarely in the body.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
-
This Broncos locker room finds itself in the strangest of all places -- the future of the franchise suddenly ripped away, and having to step into an immediate future without him.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Inside, archaeologists discovered fragments of female figurines and two terracotta cattle.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Jan. 2026
-
At least three large pieces of space debris — old satellites and spent rocket stages — fall back to Earth every day on average, but researchers have only a very limited understanding of where these potentially dangerous fragments land and what happens to them in the atmosphere.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The remnants of a 19th-century shipwreck have been unearthed on the beach at a New Jersey state park.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
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The Helix Nebula is composed of stellar material shrugged off by a dying star as its outer layers were blasted away and its core collapsed to form a dense stellar remnant called a white dwarf.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The condition slowly kills specific groups of neurons in brain regions that control movement, mood and thinking, and by the time clear motor symptoms such as uncontrolled movements appear, a large fraction of those neurons have already been lost.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Though those sales are just a fraction of the three billion iPhones Apple has shipped as of mid-2025, the glasses show that a product category that spent years as a punchline is finally gaining traction.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The company says early-stage recycling of production scrap can cut demand for virgin materials while improving supply security for battery manufacturing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
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Grace can find scraps and extract blood from zombies, buckets, and other viscera.—
Gieson Cacho,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This approach emphasizes meaningful pieces that tell a story over instant gratification.—
Amanda Lauren,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Streets Department says crews spent part of the day making sure the more than 600 pieces of equipment, that will be used to clear the snow, are ready to roll.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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