Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

clatter

[klat-er]

Origin

verb (used without object)

to make a loud, rattling sound, as that produced by hard objects striking rapidly one against the other: The shutters clattered in the wind.

to move rapidly with such a sound: The iron-wheeled cart clattered down the street.

to talk fast and noisily; chatter: They clattered on and on about their children.

verb (used with object)

to cause to clatter: clattering the pots and pans in the sink.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Clatter is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

a rattling noise or series of rattling noises: The stagecoach made a terrible clatter going over the wooden bridge.

noisy disturbance; din; racket.

noisy talk; din of voices: They had to shout over the clatter at the cocktail party.

idle talk; gossip.

Origin:
before 1050; Middle English clateren, Old English clatr- (in clatrunge); cognate with Dutch klateren to rattle; see -er⁶

Related forms

clat·ter·er, noun

clat·ter·ing·ly, adverb

clat·ter·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To clatter

Collins

World English Dictionary

clatter (ˈklætə)

—vb
1.	to make or cause to make a rattling noise, esp as a result of movement
2.	(intr) to chatter

—n
3.	a rattling sound or noise
4.	a noisy commotion, such as one caused by loud chatter

[Old English clatrung clattering (gerund); related to Dutch klateren to rattle, German klatschen to smack, Norwegian klattra to knock]

'clatterer

—n

'clatteringly

—*adv*

'clattery

—*adj*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

clatter

late O.E., probably from O.E. *clatrian, imitative, perhaps from PIE base *gal- "to cry out" (see call).

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for clatter?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Related Words

rattle hurtle interminable

interminable pernickety

Matching Quote

"Kitchens were different then, too—not only what came out of them, but their smells and sounds. A hot pie cooling smells different from a frozen pie thawing. Oilcloth and linoleum and apples in an open bowl and ruffled rubber aprons make a different aromatic mix from Formica and ceramic tile and mangoes in an acrylic fruit ripener and plastic-coated aprons printed with "Who invited all these tacky people?" And the kitchen sounds. I am not sure that today's kitchen is noisier. But the noises are different. Today you get the song of the food processor and the blender, the intermittent hum of the reefer and the freezer, the buzz-slosh-and-grunt of the dishwasher, the violently audible digestive processes of the waste disposal in the sink. Then it was the whir and clatter of the hand-powered eggbeater, the thunk-thunk-thunk of somebody mashing potatoes, or, in green-pea season, the crisp pop of pea pod and the rattle-rattle-rattle of peas into the pan."

-Peg Bracken

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help