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
Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
Dine as locals do: Share a table, drink the potent tea, and be bold, nabbing small plates right off the clattering trolleys.
—Amanda Eyre Ward, Bon Appétit, 19 Mar. 2025
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025
You're seated up high, deafened by the clatter and bangs from the empty, boxy body, which, again, is exactly like that built on a traditional truck.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clatter
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Verb
Then Hoon clattered down a staircase, pushing the door open in sweatpants and a too tight black tank top.
—Bryan Washington, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
Dine as locals do: Share a table, drink the potent tea, and be bold, nabbing small plates right off the clattering trolleys.
—Amanda Eyre Ward, Bon Appétit, 19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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
You're seated up high, deafened by the clatter and bangs from the empty, boxy body, which, again, is exactly like that built on a traditional truck.
—Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 22 Feb. 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 4 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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