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
Verb
In a nutshell, the ease of creating digital art, whether using primitive tools like MS Paint or even artificial intelligence (AI) prompts, has cluttered the NFT art field with a lot of junk. Zain Jaffer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2024 This can help avoid cluttering the counters of the bathroom. Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 12 July 2024
Noun
If cord clutter on the counter is not your thing, this Cuisinart kettle is a great pick under $100. Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2024 From paper boarding passes to brochures, the paper clutter can add up quickly. Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for clutter 

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

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 13 Oct. 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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