as in to tear
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the little boy tattered that blanket beyond repair by repeatedly yanking on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in shred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tatter
Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 15 July 2024
San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime.
—Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Verb
So where did Ransome’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Noun
Their pitching staff then turned to tatters, heightening the importance of an offense that must mask it.
Including Tucker, seven of Houston’s qualified hitters finished the first half with an OPS+ of 100 or higher.
—Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 15 July 2024
San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime.
—Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatter
Verb
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The Context The outbreak in Kansas follows a devastating storm system that tore through parts of the U.S. over the weekend, resulting in at least 25 fatalities, CNN reported.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
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Photos show damage after storms tear through Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Zac Anderson; USA TODAY Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The Stirling family expects that all video and audio footage along with every report and shred of evidence related to this deeply disturbing shooting be preserved for presentation in due course as part of the lawsuit the family will be pursuing.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
8 May 2025
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The upshot: Not a shred of pink was seen at the Peter Rabbit themed affair.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of ripping down the flag.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 2025
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Astronomers have caught a black hole far from the center of its home galaxy ripping a star to shreds — providing, for the first time, direct evidence of a rogue supermassive black hole in action.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The other was almost entirely absent of decoration, but was found with fragments of fabric, which could have come from a material case or the clothes the deceased owner was wearing when buried.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
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Psaki’s show will, at least, be one fragment among all the others, and perhaps a relatively noticeable one.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
9 May 2025
Noun
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While the boosters included parachutes allowing them to be recovered and reused, the fuel tank was designed to disintegrate during its atmospheric reentry along a ballistic trajectory ensuring any remnants landed in the Indian or Pacific Oceans.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
15 May 2025
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In a place as old and majestic as Rome, even the mundane can contain fascinating remnants of history.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 May 2025
Noun
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All these years later, attendance at the IndyCar road course event is a fraction of the Indianapolis 500.—
Bill Koenig,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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The magnet, derived from the rare earth element neodymium, was as strong as an iron magnet but a fraction of the volume, allowing automakers to introduce thin power doors, power steering, and power seats, as well as use permanent magnets in motors.—
Mark Dent,
HubSpot,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The two then fought to a split draw in a September 2023 scrap.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
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Organizers have held quilt-ins in 30 states, evoking the image of repurposing scraps of otherwise unwanted fabric into something worth more than the sum of its parts.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Mazzoli created a lush score that was alternately sweeping or intimate, sensuous or mystical, yet with a distinctive sound that was her own weaving a thread through the piece.—
Janelle Gelfand,
Cincinnati.com,
19 July 2017
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This is why the war stories of Tom Clancy are such convincing and moving pieces of fiction.—
Janine Barchas,
Washington Post,
18 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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