1

clutter

verb clut·ter \ ˈklə-tər \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: clutter in a Sentence

Definition of clutter

cluttered; cluttering; clutters

intransitive verb

chiefly dialectal : to run in disorder

transitive verb

: to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness

a room cluttered with toys

—often used with up

Too many signs were cluttering up the street corner.

See clutter defined for English-language learners

See clutter defined for kids

Examples of clutter in a Sentence

The garage was cluttered with tools.
Try to avoid cluttering your desk with books and papers.

Recent Examples of clutter from the Web

Thirty-six people died in the building, which was cluttered and had no fire escapes or sprinklers.

— otis r. taylor jr., San Francisco Chronicle, "Oakland native’s festival feels like the Town," 14 June 2018
The counters are cluttered, strewn with all the ingredients required to sustain an addiction—spoons caked with powder, pipes, papers, cigarette butts.

— josie duffy rice, The Atlantic, "The Gospel According to Pusha T," 12 July 2018
Lime and other dockless scooter rental services are criticized for cluttering streets and blocking traffic when people haphazardly dump the scooters after their trips.

— monica rodriguez, Fortune, "Lime Introduces Electric Scooters In Paris," 21 June 2018
Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 / 0:50 When the beach looks like a jellyfish graveyard Advertisement South Beach, located on Hilton Head Island inside Sea Pines, was cluttered with hundreds of dead jellyfish on Jan. 20.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "One of the world's top beaches is a 'blue carpet of slime' after creatures wash ashore," 2 May 2018
Dryer Balls Reusable dryer balls are a great alternative to landfill-cluttering dryer sheets, and are particularly recommended for use with gym gear and filled items like comforters and parkas.

— jolie kerr, Country Living, "6 DIY Cleaning Products You Can Easily Make at Home," 19 Mar. 2015
Have empathy for how cluttered this senior person’s inbox and voice mail must be.

— neil swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "7 steps to try before resorting to a bad review on Yelp," 3 Apr. 2018
After returning from maternity leave, she was told to pump milk in a supply closet cluttered with recycling bins.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Pregnancy discrimination is rampant inside America’s biggest companies," 16 June 2018
NE Hank's Ice Cream Parlor This tiny spot's pink-and-purple walls are cluttered with memorabilia documenting more than 30 years of expanding Bayou City waistlines.

— Houston Chronicle, "Dip into ice cream shops in Houston and Galveston," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clutter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clutter

Middle English clotteren to clot, from clot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1556

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

2

clutter

noun

Definition of clutter

1 a : a crowded or confused mass or collection

a clutter of motels and restaurants

b : things that clutter a place

tried to minimize the unnecessary clutter in her house

2 : interfering radar echoes caused by reflection from objects (as on the ground) other than the target

3 chiefly dialectal : disturbance, hubbub

See clutter defined for English-language learners

Examples of clutter in a Sentence

There's a lot of unnecessary clutter in the house.
a scrapbook that was a clutter of snapshots, diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings

Recent Examples of clutter from the Web

The president also used the White House event to establish a new policy for reducing satellite clutter in space.

— marcia dunn, chicagotribune.com, "President Trump announces plans for Pentagon to create 'Space Force'," 18 June 2018
The president also used the White House event to establish a new policy for reducing satellite clutter in space.

— NBC News, "'Space Force': Trump directs Pentagon to create new military branch," 18 June 2018
Custom friends lists are great for cutting down on News Feed clutter.

— david nield, Popular Mechanics, "How to Delete Your Facebook Account," 20 Mar. 2018
Costumes for each number, created by Mary Piering and the Milwaukee Ballet Costume Department, were done in a minimalist, urban vein, supporting mood and tone without visual clutter.

— elaine schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Ballet sticks the landing on creative 'MXE' program," 9 Feb. 2018
Few series riff this fast, and the verbal gymnastics are not shortcut with pauses that clutter.

— tim goodman, The Hollywood Reporter, "Critic's Notebook: 'Letterkenny' Is the Canadian Comedy You Didn't Know You Needed," 11 July 2018
On a Thursday in late June, just hours before her mother was to arrive for the weekend from North Carolina, Ms. Jordan was in a panic over the clutter.

— New York Times, "Buried in Paperwork," 6 July 2018
These aren’t your average short bouts of wit or flowery navel gazing that clutter social media.

— jill sanford, Outside Online, "9 Travel Accounts You Should Follow on Instagram," 1 July 2018
The first step in cutting through the marketing clutter is to determine what feature matters to you the most?

— cassie armstrong, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Camera Day: How to observe in Central Florida," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clutter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clutter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1649

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

clutter Synonyms

Synonyms

agglomerate, agglomeration, assortment, collage, grab bag, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jumble, litter, medley, mélange, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, patchwork, potpourri, ragbag, rummage, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, tumble, variety, welter;

Related Words

notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries;

admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up;

mess, morass, shambles;

CLUTTER Defined for English Language Learners

clutter

verb

Definition of clutter for English Language Learners

: to fill or cover (something) with many things : to fill or cover (something) with clutter

clutter

noun

Definition of clutter for English Language Learners

: a large amount of things that are not arranged in a neat or orderly way : a crowded or disordered collection of things

CLUTTER Defined for Kids

1

clutter

verb clut·ter \ ˈklə-tər \

Definition of clutter for Students

cluttered; cluttering

: to fill or cover with scattered things

2

clutter

noun

Definition of clutter for Students

: a collection of scattered things

Learn More about clutter

See words that rhyme with clutter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for clutter Spanish Central: Translation of clutter Nglish: Translation of clutter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of clutter for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clutter

Seen and Heard

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WORD OF THE DAY

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BROWSE DICTIONARY

Clutha

cluther

clutter

clutterer

cly

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