clutter

1 of 2

verb

clut·​ter ˈklə-tər How to pronounce clutter (audio)
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.

clutter

2 of 2

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Grab yourself one of the hammock-style Gear Lofts ($13), which create a huge stash space without cluttering up the tent floor. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024 Think about letting go of anything cluttering your mental space — this could be tackling that intimidating credit card balance or finding closure in a complicated relationship. Valerie Mesa, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
Locker simplifies online shopping by letting users browse multiple websites and save products directly to their Locker without the clutter of endless browser tabs. Jaime Catmull, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 But soon enough, the whole thing came to life with a feeling of pleasant clutter. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for clutter 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of clutter was in 1556

Dictionary Entries Near clutter

Cite this Entry

“Clutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clutter. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

clutter

1 of 2 verb
clut·​ter ˈklət-ər How to pronounce clutter (audio)
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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