clattered; clattering; clatters
1
: to make a rattling sound
the dishes clattered on the shelf
2
: to talk noisily or rapidly
3
: to move or go with a clatter
clattered down the stairs
: to cause to clatter
1
: a rattling sound (as of hard bodies striking together)
the clatter of pots and pans
2
: commotion
the midday clatter of the business district
3
: noisy chatter
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Examples of clatter in a Sentence
Verb
The shutters clattered against the house.
He heard dishes clattering in the kitchen.
The box dropped and dozens of marbles clattered across the floor.
The wagon clattered down the road.
Noun
the clatter of a crowded cafeteria
Recent Examples on the Web
The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Every few minutes, a new prescription comes clattering down, delivering a bottle full of powerful and effective pills used to treat opioid addiction to a waiting patient at the front desk.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 26 Mar. 2024
Yes, the fervent hordes clattering around TikTok and reality TV attest that many still prize celebrity, influence and their attendant financial promise.
—Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2023
Time to get used to: Opening the door to clattering in the kitchen, the TV on — the sweet sounds of your special someone who has arrived home before you.
—Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The air was filled with cigarette smoke and the racket of clattering typewriters, editors yelling reminders of how many minutes to deadline, phones ringing, static from police scanners and the occasional thunk of a chair thrown in anger.
—Daniel Golden, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2023
Every year another piece of rock chips off the mountain and goes clattering into a chasm below.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2023
This bird is known for its orange, brown, and yellow coloring and its distinct call, which typically sounds like bones clattering around, in a fun way.
—Kerry Elson, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2023
The power had gone out, and the weather was bad, with ferocious winds violently shaking trees and clattering the store’s glass doors.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2024
Today, the clatter of cutlery and the buzz of conversation compete with the steady stream of delivery drivers and the ping of online orders.
—Craig Dunaway, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Anything served in a metal steamer, the source of some of the clatter at Bob’s, is worth your attention.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
Live rounds are typically distinguished from dummy rounds by a small hole in the dummy’s brass cartridge, indicating there is no explosive inside, by a missing or dimpled primer at the bottom of the cartridge, or by shaking the round to hear the clatter of a BB that is inserted inside.
—Morgan Lee, Twin Cities, 13 Feb. 2024
Pass your hand over a patch and a sensor detects your presence, playing a personalized, familiar soundscape: a stroll down a cobblestoned street in the rain, maybe, or the clatter of coffee cups and servers and spoons at a café.
—Kat McGowan, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2024
The once ubiquitous sounds of exploding shells have been replaced by the clatter of camera shutters.
—Durdana Bhat, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023
The melodic guitars are accompanied by the clatter of skateboards landing.
—Roberto Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
The cabin experience is slightly less raucous than the 911 R, but more raw than the wingless 911 GT3 Touring, with an intrusive clatter at idle due to the single-mass flywheel and featherlight clutch.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2023
Verb
The dots refresh for each new image, clattering like the sound of Nerds candies being poured onto a table.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
Every few minutes, a new prescription comes clattering down, delivering a bottle full of powerful and effective pills used to treat opioid addiction to a waiting patient at the front desk.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 26 Mar. 2024
Yes, the fervent hordes clattering around TikTok and reality TV attest that many still prize celebrity, influence and their attendant financial promise.
—Brenda Cronin, WSJ, 29 Oct. 2023
Time to get used to: Opening the door to clattering in the kitchen, the TV on — the sweet sounds of your special someone who has arrived home before you.
—Katie Toussaint, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
The air was filled with cigarette smoke and the racket of clattering typewriters, editors yelling reminders of how many minutes to deadline, phones ringing, static from police scanners and the occasional thunk of a chair thrown in anger.
—Daniel Golden, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2023
Every year another piece of rock chips off the mountain and goes clattering into a chasm below.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Sep. 2023
This bird is known for its orange, brown, and yellow coloring and its distinct call, which typically sounds like bones clattering around, in a fun way.
—Kerry Elson, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2023
The power had gone out, and the weather was bad, with ferocious winds violently shaking trees and clattering the store’s glass doors.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
Noun
Far from there being any awkwardness, however, the extended brood descend on Pat and Angie’s in a cheerful clatter.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Feb. 2024
Today, the clatter of cutlery and the buzz of conversation compete with the steady stream of delivery drivers and the ping of online orders.
—Craig Dunaway, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Anything served in a metal steamer, the source of some of the clatter at Bob’s, is worth your attention.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 27 Nov. 2023
Live rounds are typically distinguished from dummy rounds by a small hole in the dummy’s brass cartridge, indicating there is no explosive inside, by a missing or dimpled primer at the bottom of the cartridge, or by shaking the round to hear the clatter of a BB that is inserted inside.
—Morgan Lee, Twin Cities, 13 Feb. 2024
Pass your hand over a patch and a sensor detects your presence, playing a personalized, familiar soundscape: a stroll down a cobblestoned street in the rain, maybe, or the clatter of coffee cups and servers and spoons at a café.
—Kat McGowan, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2024
The once ubiquitous sounds of exploding shells have been replaced by the clatter of camera shutters.
—Durdana Bhat, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2023
The melodic guitars are accompanied by the clatter of skateboards landing.
—Roberto Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023
The cabin experience is slightly less raucous than the 911 R, but more raw than the wingless 911 GT3 Touring, with an intrusive clatter at idle due to the single-mass flywheel and featherlight clutch.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clatter
Cite this Entry
“Clatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clatter. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clatter
1 of 2 verb
clat·ter
ˈklat-ər 
1
: to make or cause to make a rattling sound
2
: to move with a clatter
clatter
2 of 2 noun1
: a rattling sound (as of hard objects striking together)
the clatter of pots and pans
3
: noisy chatter
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