clutter

verb

clut·ter | \ ˈklə-tər

cluttered; cluttering; clutters

Definition of clutter

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

noun

Definition of clutter (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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 More Example Sentences Learn More about clutter

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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: Verb

Baseball mitts, fishing rods, camping tents and water floats are all cluttering up your living space or storage. — Maria Ward, Houston Chronicle, "Staying Organized: More services, less clutter," 18 May 2018 De-cluttering goes beyond removing your coffee pot or slow cooker from the kitchen counter. — Andria Cheng, USA TODAY, "Want to sell your home? Think like a buyer and follow these home-staging rules," 17 June 2019 Styling Adopting some age-old custom tricks from car customizers, the 2020 Evoque's sheetmetal has been finessed, smoothed out and de-cluttered. — Houston Chronicle, "Range Rover Evoque gets added finesse, mild-hybrid versions," 14 June 2019 Decaying literary works line shelves. Frying pans clutter the stovetop. — Norma Meyer, San Diego Union-Tribune, "James Bond’s Jamaican roots," 13 June 2019 And, de-cluttering physical spaces is proven to have positive mental health effects. — Eliza Solomon, Teen Vogue, "Why You Should Marie Kondo Your Social Media Feed," 23 Apr. 2019 Pictures shared on social media and by local emergency services also show sprawling floes of ice cluttering up beaches, roads, and even some lakeside residences. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "'Ice tsunami' crashes onto northern lake shores. Here's why.," 25 Feb. 2019 In addition to color considerations, paint companies must also adapt their products to help vehicles avoid dirt buildup, which can clutter sensors and give false signals to self-driving cars. — Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY, "Why self-driving cars will likely be light-colored," 29 Jan. 2018 The gymnasium was carpeted and cluttered with garbage, while food wrappers, cigarette butts and empty beer bottles lined the curb outside. — Jason L. Riley, WSJ, "A Charter-School Principal Won’t Go to Prison," 30 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

When clutter lines the perimeter of a room, people will frequently buy a bunch of boxes, bins and baskets to corral the items lining their walls, either to make the piles less unsightly or to store the items in a basement or attic. — Nicole Anzia, Houston Chronicle, "Everything has its place — and that place is not the floor," 7 June 2019 The most frequent clutter issues in entry areas and mudrooms are unpacked bags. — Nicole Anzia, Washington Post, "The top clutter culprits in every room — and how to deal with them," 4 June 2019 But some people complain the scooters are risky for inexperienced riders and clutter sidewalks when users disobey company instructions to park them out of the way. — Nat Ives, WSJ, "Lime Ads Evoke a Mission Beyond Renting Out Scooters," 16 May 2019 His secret for preventing the dreaded clutter effect? — Kathryn O’shea-evans, House Beautiful, "How Celeb-Favorite Designer Jeff Andrews Created His Own Glamorous L.A. Haven," 14 Feb. 2019 That has led to complaints in other cities that LimeBikes clutter sidewalks and block driveways. — James B. Nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bublr Bikes stages fundraiser, works to build support as LimeBike considers Milwaukee," 7 June 2018 At a townhome in Fairmount, Devlin removed items that could appear clutter-ish, such as kids’ toys and outerwear. — Cassie Owens, Philly.com, "How this real estate photographer makes homes look listing-ready," 30 May 2018 Examples of projects include interior and exterior repairs, accessibility modifications such as installation of grab bars and railings, painting, yard work, and clutter removal. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Manchester Edition," 1 May 2018 The wealth of light coupled with a warm and neutral color scheme highlight the lack of clutter on countertops void of the usual food processer, stand mixer and instant pot. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "A 15-foot island made this Chandler couple's kitchen the entertaining space they craved," 13 June 2019

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.