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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tatter
Nathan Taylor Pemberton, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2020
So where did Ransom’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Kevin Barry, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Verb
Coming down that highway, one’s arrival was confirmed by a row of flag poles holding international flags, tattered and generally ignored.
—Nathan Taylor Pemberton, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2020
So where did Ransom’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Ale Russian, PEOPLE.com, 26 Dec. 2019
Noun
Rourke himself approached the street at this hour in suave array and manic tatters.
—Kevin Barry, Harper's Magazine, 2 July 2024
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatter
Verb
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When the fire tore through Altadena in January 2025, Sidecca and a few other stores on the north side of Mariposa Street’s bustling Mariposa Junction survived, while the other half-block of businesses burned to the ground.—
Solvej Schou,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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That project caused sections of Conner Street from 14th Street to 6th Street to close while crews tore out 100-year-old subsurface brick and replaced it with asphalt and concrete.—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Serve the sandwiches with frozen French fries jazzed up with bits of parsley, coarse salt, black pepper, and parmesan shreds.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
-
With tears stains on her shirt, Guthrie posted a new video Tuesday morning to increase the reward money from $100,000, saying their family was clinging to the smallest shred of hope that their mother would be returned to them safe.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Nestor Reyes played a ball into the box that rolled out toward the top of the area, where Rodriguez ripped a shot into the left corner of the goal.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Isolated ones, on the contrary, are normally only found inside galaxy clusters, where they were likely ripped out of their host galaxies by gravitational interactions.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then last year came the discovery of Rancho Izaguirre, just 45 minutes down the highway, where bone fragments, clothing and other evidence indicated the cartel had been disposing of bodies.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Avoiding documentary-like methods that presume to grasp events in large visual gulps, Ouédraogo offers visual fragments (however ample) that conjure a spectrum of experience that goes beyond what’s onscreen.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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When assessing which military is responsible for a particular strike – in any conflict – CNN typically obtains images of the remnants of the weapons used in the attack and provides these to munitions experts so that their provenance can be assessed.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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For the remnants of the Iranian regime—and, especially, the hard-line members of the Revolutionary Guard, who control much of the state’s weaponry—the strategy is clear.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Alternatively, this Bagail 8-piece Packing Cube Set over at Amazon has even more cubes at just a fraction of the cost.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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That means your home looks like it was designed by a pro, but for a fraction of the cost.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The trash may be full of sticky residues, sweet liquids, and food scraps that wasps like.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
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Vermicompost is a compost produced by red wiggler worms that like to decompose biowaste, such as food scraps, hygiene products and cotton clothing, recycling them rather than throwing them away.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To grasp this piece of Roman history, Yanxiao argued, one had to study the Xiongnu—and to understand the Xiongnu, one had to read Chinese.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
For me, the Calpak 5-piece Packing Cube Set has truly delivered the solution with a set of four packing cubes and a water-resistant pouch for storage.—
Kristin Braswell,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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