cluttered; cluttering; clutters
chiefly dialectal
: to run in disorder
: to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness
a room cluttered with toys
—often used with upToo many signs were cluttering up the street corner.
1
a
: a crowded or confused mass or collection
a clutter of motels and restaurants
b
: things that clutter a place
tried to minimize the unnecessary clutter in her house
2
: interfering radar echoes caused by reflection from objects (as on the ground) other than the target
3
chiefly dialectal
: disturbance, hubbub
Examples of clutter in a Sentence
Verb
The garage was cluttered with tools.
Try to avoid cluttering your desk with books and papers.
Noun
There's a lot of unnecessary clutter in the house.
a scrapbook that was a clutter of snapshots, diary entries, letters, and newspaper clippings
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Producers presented the story in exciting new ways while also not cluttering the game with too many idols, advantages, bells, and whistles.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Theresa Tamkins, SELF, 21 Feb. 2025
The dirty floor was barely visible beneath the immense clutter of half-broken furniture; utensils and cooking appliances were streaked with saucy refuse; and people were packed together, yelling as if there weren’t just two centimeters of void between them.
—Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clutter
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Verb
Hundreds of unauthorized copies soon cluttered his house.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
Producers presented the story in exciting new ways while also not cluttering the game with too many idols, advantages, bells, and whistles.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
Hughes’s mom has always disliked clutter, so these types of tasks really appeal to her.
—Theresa Tamkins, SELF, 21 Feb. 2025
The dirty floor was barely visible beneath the immense clutter of half-broken furniture; utensils and cooking appliances were streaked with saucy refuse; and people were packed together, yelling as if there weren’t just two centimeters of void between them.
—Hannah Gold, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clutter
Cite this Entry
“Clutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clutter. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clutter
1 of 2 verb
clut·ter
ˈklət-ər 
: to fill or cover with a disorderly scattering of things
clutter up a room
clutter
2 of 2 noun
: a crowded or confused collection
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