in tatters

idiom

: clothes that are old and badly torn
They were dressed in tatters.
often used figuratively
After the war, the economy was in tatters.
Her hopes lay in tatters.

Examples of in tatters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, lay in tatters Thursday, most of it completely ripped off during the high winds. Jaclyn Lee, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2024 The Fukushima countryside was no longer a fruit kingdom, and its farmers’ livelihoods were in tatters. Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2024 The manuscript library, which had been kept in several rooms, had been left in tatters. Bora Erden, New York Times, 28 May 2024 Some believe Edwards is lucky not to be behind bars after viewing unspeakably indecent images of children as young as seven, but as the judge unsparingly reminded him, his reputation and career prospects are in tatters. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for in tatters 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in tatters.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“In tatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20tatters. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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