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
Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 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
So where did Ransome’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Noun
San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime.
—Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 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
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But we’re personally torn between Kieran Culkin and Guy Pearce.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2025
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The bottle our acquaintance asked about appeared to be worth more than that, save for two problems: The label was torn and had been taped to the bottle, and the owner had received it as a gift.—
Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen,
Robb Report,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After being made aware of her video, Monadnock Food Co-op had to issue a recall and refunds for their organic red quinoa, organic white quinoa, organic tri-color quinoa, organic cornmeal, organic polenta, organic coconut shreds, and their raw walnuts.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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The affected products include quinoa, cornmeal, polenta, coconut shreds and walnuts.—
Terry Dickerson,
NBC News,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Cristian Arango ripped a shot past John Pulskamp for the first goal, after Sporting’s midfield was momentarily carved apart.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
2 Mar. 2025
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The Twister: Caught in the Storm (Netflix documentary) In May 2011, a massive tornado ripped through Joplin, Miss.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Once landed, the lander will operate for roughly two weeks, collecting data about the lunar subsurface, which is made up of dust, loose rocks, and mineral fragments.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
27 Feb. 2025
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For instance, archaeological digs have turned up Roman artifacts like coins, jewelry, and pottery fragments.—
Hannah Edgar,
ARTnews.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Meghan Markle is still holding onto a remnant of her Suits era.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
3 Mar. 2025
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This leaves a stellar remnant with between one and two times the mass of the sun condensed into a width of around 12 miles (20 kilometers).—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Their actions have left only a small fraction of USAID employees on the job, slashed $60 billion in assistance overseas and upended decades of U.S. policy that foreign aid helps American interests abroad by stabilizing other countries and building alliances.—
GARY FIELDS AND ELLEN KNICKMEYER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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But a 2001 study in Nature, co-authored by Petrone, estimated a temperature of 500° Celsius (932° Fahrenheit) for the pyroclastic surge that destroyed Pompeii, sufficient to kill inhabitants in fractions of a second.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Cheese or Dairy Products Cheese and dairy scraps are other food items not to be used in compost.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
26 Feb. 2025
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Food scraps scattered along the roadside attract rodents, which in turn draw owls to hunt them.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Mazzoli created a lush score that was alternately sweeping or intimate, sensuous or mystical, yet with a distinctive sound that was her own weaving a thread through the piece.—
Janelle Gelfand,
Cincinnati.com,
19 July 2017
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This is why the war stories of Tom Clancy are such convincing and moving pieces of fiction.—
Janine Barchas,
Washington Post,
18 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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