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
James Pearce, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
The park is alive, a symphony of music, clattering boards, and high spirits.
—Ayomide "mimi" Aborowa, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Dec. 2024
Jessica Iredale, airmail.news, 6 Dec. 2024
Marcos Santiago heard the clatter of metal chains outside cell 201 next door.
—Christie Thompson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clatter 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Arne Slot was furious that referee Stuart Attwell did not show Lucas Bergvall a second yellow card for clattering Kostas Tsimikas shortly before the Swedish teenager scored a late winner in last night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
—James Pearce, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
The park is alive, a symphony of music, clattering boards, and high spirits.
—Ayomide "mimi" Aborowa, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Dec. 2024
Noun
Restaurants are noisier than ever, with each clatter and shout threatening our health (not to mention our sanity).
—Jessica Iredale, airmail.news, 6 Dec. 2024
Marcos Santiago heard the clatter of metal chains outside cell 201 next door.
—Christie Thompson, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clatter
Dictionary Entries Near clatter
Cite this Entry
“Clatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clatter. Accessed 2 Feb. 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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