clutter

[ kluht-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to fill or litter with things in a disorderly manner:

   All kinds of papers cluttered the top of his desk.

verb (used without object)

1. British Dialect. to run in disorder; move with bustle and confusion.
2. British Dialect. to make a clatter.
3. to speak so rapidly and inexactly that distortions of sound and phrasing result.

noun

1. a disorderly heap or assemblage; litter:

   It's impossible to find anything in all this clutter.

   Synonyms: jumble, disorder, mess

2. a state or condition of confusion.
3. confused noise; clatter.
4. an echo or echoes on a radar screen that do not come from the target and can be caused by such factors as atmospheric conditions, objects other than the target, chaff, and jamming of the radar signal.

clutter

/ ˈklʌtə /

verb

1. usually troften foll byup to strew or amass (objects) in a disorderly manner
2. intr to move about in a bustling manner
3. intr to chatter or babble

noun

1. a disordered heap or mass of objects
2. a state of disorder
3. unwanted echoes that confuse the observation of signals on a radar screen

Other Words From

• over·clutter verb (used with object)
• un·clutter verb (used with object)
• un·cluttered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutter¹

1550–60; variant of clotter (now obsolete), equivalent to clot + -er ⁶

Word History and Origins

Origin of clutter¹

C15 clotter, from clotteren to clot

Example Sentences

Hoarding goes beyond mere clutter.

From BBC

"They give feelings of comfort, safety, security - whatever it may be. The clutter is just a symptom of what's going on with the individual."

From BBC

Her right hand gripped the edge of a coffee table strewn with clutter: two lighters, a can of Coca-Cola, an ashtray containing three cigarette butts, a bulbous glass pipe, a small plastic bag.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Roberts, a father of two who has lived in Corstorphine for 32 years, said the wider pavements now had more clutter and bollards on them, and that this defeated the purpose of the scheme.

From BBC

“I didn’t want to say anything at the time because I didn’t want anything surrounding, you know. I really don’t want sympathy. Please don’t do that because it’ll clutter up my inbox and I hate that,” he said, adding, “The good news is I’m OK. Just doing what I’m told, which is basically nothing. I’m grounded.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• litter
• muddle
• strew