cluttered; cluttering; clutters
chiefly dialectal
: to run in disorder
: to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness
a room cluttered with toys
—often used with upToo many signs were cluttering up the street corner.
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
Synonyms
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- litter
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of clutter in a Sentence
Verb
The garage was cluttered with tools.
Try to avoid cluttering your desk with books and papers.
Noun
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 on the Web
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
In classrooms cluttered with props, green screens, costumes, lighting equipment, whiteboards and iPads for shooting and editing videos, Morrison said the kids find a place to explore their film and video passions.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
Without the large bins cluttering the overhead space, first-class fliers will be able to stand and move more freely inside their suites without crouching or worrying about hitting their heads.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2023
And Jones too often clutters up scenes with body doubles mimicking motions of the dramatis personae.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2023
Many hand mixers come with long cords and multiple accessories, which can clutter your kitchen if they’re not stored properly.
—Rachel Center, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2023
There’s a pretty general opinion current in certain well advertised circles that human beings of the advanced 20-plus are simply cluttering up the earth—at least that nothing interesting ever happens to them.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2023
That’s one less extra cord cluttering your nightstand.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 12 Sep. 2023
But if the package contains a Spider-Man costume for a Halloween party or a brochure for a sale, there is no need to clutter the house with it.
—Saugat Bolakhe, Quanta Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023
Stacey Colino, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
The reunion takes a turn after their estranged brother, Franz, appears, alongside mysterious objects that begin to be discovered among their father’s clutter.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Oct. 2023
In other words, the amount of melanin content in the skin could be associated with more clutter.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 16 Oct. 2023
Quiet the Scene: Shira minimizes visual clutter with a tight color palette, subtle patterns, and clear surfaces.
—Laura Fenton, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Nov. 2023
There was no shortage of ideas shared about how to handle cherished clutter, from creating an album of photos of trophies and awards to choosing five to ten of the most important items, and donating the rest to a community organization or school.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 30 Oct. 2023
Tired of Instagram-perfect lifestyles, more families are normalizing the clutter and letting their houses look lived-in, online and IRL.
—Tanay Howard, Parents, 3 Nov. 2023
Controlling the clutter became even more of a struggle when Steve added a haunted house.
—Liz Vaccariello, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023
Colorful Appliances Take the Spotlight in Today's Kitchens Homeowners are increasingly looking to open up their kitchens while concealing clutter, and the demand for customization is on the rise.
—Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2023
See More
Verb
Parking meters, however, are inefficient eyesores cluttering streets.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
In classrooms cluttered with props, green screens, costumes, lighting equipment, whiteboards and iPads for shooting and editing videos, Morrison said the kids find a place to explore their film and video passions.
—Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023
Without the large bins cluttering the overhead space, first-class fliers will be able to stand and move more freely inside their suites without crouching or worrying about hitting their heads.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2023
And Jones too often clutters up scenes with body doubles mimicking motions of the dramatis personae.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 4 Aug. 2023
Many hand mixers come with long cords and multiple accessories, which can clutter your kitchen if they’re not stored properly.
—Rachel Center, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2023
There’s a pretty general opinion current in certain well advertised circles that human beings of the advanced 20-plus are simply cluttering up the earth—at least that nothing interesting ever happens to them.
—Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 July 2023
That’s one less extra cord cluttering your nightstand.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 12 Sep. 2023
But if the package contains a Spider-Man costume for a Halloween party or a brochure for a sale, there is no need to clutter the house with it.
—Saugat Bolakhe, Quanta Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023
Noun
There are good reasons to try to become more organized, too, given that living with clutter or messiness can cause stress.
—Stacey Colino, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
The reunion takes a turn after their estranged brother, Franz, appears, alongside mysterious objects that begin to be discovered among their father’s clutter.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Oct. 2023
In other words, the amount of melanin content in the skin could be associated with more clutter.
—Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 16 Oct. 2023
Quiet the Scene: Shira minimizes visual clutter with a tight color palette, subtle patterns, and clear surfaces.
—Laura Fenton, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Nov. 2023
There was no shortage of ideas shared about how to handle cherished clutter, from creating an album of photos of trophies and awards to choosing five to ten of the most important items, and donating the rest to a community organization or school.
—Melissa Willets, Parents, 30 Oct. 2023
Tired of Instagram-perfect lifestyles, more families are normalizing the clutter and letting their houses look lived-in, online and IRL.
—Tanay Howard, Parents, 3 Nov. 2023
Controlling the clutter became even more of a struggle when Steve added a haunted house.
—Liz Vaccariello, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023
Colorful Appliances Take the Spotlight in Today's Kitchens Homeowners are increasingly looking to open up their kitchens while concealing clutter, and the demand for customization is on the rise.
—Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clutter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English clotteren to clot, from clot
First Known Use
Verb
1556, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1649, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near clutter
Cite this Entry
“Clutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clutter. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
clutter
1 of 2 verb
clut·ter
ˈklət-ər 
: to fill or cover with a disorderly scattering of things
clutter up a room
clutter
2 of 2 noun
: a crowded or confused collection
More from Merriam-Webster on clutter
Nglish: Translation of clutter for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of clutter for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about clutter
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