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
-
Kancey, 25, tore his pectoral muscle in a Week 2 win at Houston and missed most of last season.—
Rick Stroud,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
So when Khalil is killed and his family targeted exactly because of this work, Jimmy is torn by guilt and grief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That was the last shred of competitiveness in the game.—
Devon Henderson,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
Gobert was chief among the beggars imploring his teammates for a shred of consistency on that end of the floor.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Political attack ads abound ahead of the June 2 statewide direct primary election, with competing candidates finding new, creative ways to rip each other apart over their records on immigration, corruption or cashing in on the fossil fuel industry.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
-
The mega-tsunami wreaked havoc across the landscape, stripping forests down to bare rock, ripping trees out by their roots and hurling boulders.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Within the first four months of this year, the figures are already approaching the record annual highs set across 2025, during which Romania reported nine airspace violations, the discovery of fragments 16 times, 21 air policing missions and 28 attacks on Ukrainian targets close to Romania.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
-
During a season-ending arthroscopic surgery late last season, a physician removed a cartilage fragment within his left knee and performed a mosaicplasty procedure to repair the trochlear joint surface.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Know your evacuation route This is good advice for everyone who may be in the path of a hurricane (or its remnants), not just coastal residents.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse join McDavid and Draisaitl as remnants from that series.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
These investments are a fraction of a total loss.—
Jane Kim,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
As the rodeo-ropin’ wife to Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist, Hathaway landed her first blush with a world-class filmmaker but a fraction of the notices that her equally brilliant peers Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, and Gyllenhaal received.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Fed on moral scraps, the child must find her own meaning on which to subsist.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Heizer specifically engineered it so that future humans, scavenging for scrap in a postapocalyptic scenario, would be forced to turn back from his monument empty-handed.—
Olivia Kan-Sperling,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
Noun
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The Musketeers lost almost all of their key pieces aside from forward Jovan Milicevic and added a haul highlighted by former UAB guard Chance Westry and former LSU center Mike Nwoko, along with Ruben Dominguez from Texas A&M and Tru Washington from Miami.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
Paint a colorful background, then layer cut canvas pieces for texture and dimension.—
Kris Slugg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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