clattered; clattering; clatters
1
: to make a rattling sound
the dishes clattered on the shelf
2
: to talk noisily or rapidly
3
: to move or go with a clatter
clattered down the stairs
: to cause to clatter
1
: a rattling sound (as of hard bodies striking together)
the clatter of pots and pans
2
: commotion
the midday clatter of the business district
3
: noisy chatter
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- bustle
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Examples of clatter in a Sentence
Verb
The shutters clattered against the house.
He heard dishes clattering in the kitchen.
The box dropped and dozens of marbles clattered across the floor.
The wagon clattered down the road.
Noun
the clatter of a crowded cafeteria
Recent Examples on the Web
Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Ten minutes later the Bianconeri would pay for that miscue when Luiz — who gave away a penalty in midweek — clattered into Piccoli and another spot kick was awarded.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Outside, the sidewalk patio remains relatively quiet except for the occasional clatter of trains down the street.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clatter 
Verb
Richard is sent overboard as the gun clatters onto the floor of the boat.
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
Ten minutes later the Bianconeri would pay for that miscue when Luiz — who gave away a penalty in midweek — clattered into Piccoli and another spot kick was awarded.
—Adam Digby, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024
Noun
From there things just keep happening, as one event unfolds into another in a headlong rush amid the incessant clatter of plates and pans and the machine spitting out endless order tickets.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Outside, the sidewalk patio remains relatively quiet except for the occasional clatter of trains down the street.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 7 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clatter
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clatter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clatter
Cite this Entry
“Clatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clatter. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clatter
1 of 2 verb
clat·ter
ˈklat-ər 
1
: to make or cause to make a rattling sound
2
: to move with a clatter
clatter
2 of 2 noun1
: a rattling sound (as of hard objects striking together)
the clatter of pots and pans
3
: noisy chatter
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