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
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
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
He was injured when Antonio Nusa, his then team-mate at Club Bruges, clattered into him during a game.
—Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 25 July 2024
Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
The solid construction of this slick pair of cans combines with the brand’s excellent adaptive noise-canceling technology to block out almost all the ambient clatter in your environment.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clatter
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Verb
The seeds are loose and clatter around inside the pods, giving baptisia the name rattleweed, as children once used the seedpods as rattles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
He was injured when Antonio Nusa, his then team-mate at Club Bruges, clattered into him during a game.
—Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 25 July 2024
Noun
There were hits with a bamboo clatter stick, which projects a rattling sound.
—Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2025
The solid construction of this slick pair of cans combines with the brand’s excellent adaptive noise-canceling technology to block out almost all the ambient clatter in your environment.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clatter
Cite this Entry
“Clatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clatter. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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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