rattletrap
noun
rat·tle·trap
ˈra-tᵊl-ˌtrap 
: something rattly or rickety
especially
: an old car
rattletrap
adjective
Examples of rattletrap in a Sentence
Are you still driving that old rattletrap?
Recent Examples on the Web
But the story doesn’t coalesce—to the extent that anything in the rattletrap narrative ever comes together—until the heroine gets a job at a fashionable department store.
—
Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 27 May 2021
Given the rattletrap American health care system — which is far, far worse than Italy's — even that would probably not be sufficient.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2020
The raucously rattletrap musical selections add a fitting, pungent quality to this delirium.
—Duane Bygre, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2020
From Pickwick Lake, the Mississippi DFW reports Alabama-rigs, single swimbaits, rattletraps, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits are all catching pre-spawn bass.
—Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 23 Mar. 2018
Saugeye have been biting around the rocky points of the main lake, mostly on small silver crankbaits and rattletraps.
—Colorado Parks & Wildlife, The Denver Post, 14 May 2017
In the post-Soviet era, demand for the boxy rattletraps plunged ruinously in the face of foreign competition.
—Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2016
My final critique reflects something that Cotter and his colleagues are well aware of: The Elf seems a bit of a rattletrap.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Dec. 2013
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Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, 27 May 2021
Given the rattletrap American health care system — which is far, far worse than Italy's — even that would probably not be sufficient.
—Ryan Cooper, TheWeek, 12 Mar. 2020
The raucously rattletrap musical selections add a fitting, pungent quality to this delirium.
—Duane Bygre, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2020
From Pickwick Lake, the Mississippi DFW reports Alabama-rigs, single swimbaits, rattletraps, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits are all catching pre-spawn bass.
—Frank Sargeant, AL.com, 23 Mar. 2018
Saugeye have been biting around the rocky points of the main lake, mostly on small silver crankbaits and rattletraps.
—Colorado Parks & Wildlife, The Denver Post, 14 May 2017
In the post-Soviet era, demand for the boxy rattletraps plunged ruinously in the face of foreign competition.
—Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2016
My final critique reflects something that Cotter and his colleagues are well aware of: The Elf seems a bit of a rattletrap.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Dec. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Rattletrap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rattletrap. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rattletrap
noun
rat·tle·trap
-ˌtrap
: something (as an old car) that is rickety and makes rattling noises
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