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
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
Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025
Throughout his years working in post-production, Costantini had accumulated more and more hard drives, which had begun to clutter his bookshelves and gather dust in his basement.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Jill Cunniff, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Paint or a wall treatment can go a long way as decor in a small bedroom without adding clutter.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clutter
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Verb
Finally de-clutter your cabinets and fridge with the help of handy containers—that actually have their lids (for now, anyway).
—Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025
Throughout his years working in post-production, Costantini had accumulated more and more hard drives, which had begun to clutter his bookshelves and gather dust in his basement.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
So how does a band, whose heyday was in a pre-social media ‘90s, find a way to break through the clutter of the internet to get noticed by new fans nostalgic for that time and old fans who are curious about what was going on behind the scenes?
—Jill Cunniff, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
Paint or a wall treatment can go a long way as decor in a small bedroom without adding clutter.
—Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clutter
Cite this Entry
“Clutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clutter. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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