clatter

[ klat-er ]
See synonyms for: clatterclatteredclattery on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to make a loud, rattling sound, as that produced by hard objects striking rapidly one against the other: The shutters clattered in the wind.

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

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

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to clatter: clattering the pots and pans in the sink.

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

  2. noisy disturbance; din; racket.

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

  2. idle talk; gossip.

Origin of clatter

1
before 1050; Middle English clateren,Old English clatr- (in clatrunge); cognate with Dutch klateren to rattle; see -er6

Other words from clatter

  • clat·ter·er, noun
  • clat·ter·ing·ly, adverb
  • clat·ter·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use clatter in a sentence

  • They clattered through the outlying bazaar without disturbing a soul.

    The Red Year | Louis Tracy
  • The lone pine on the stone cap of Gander Knob waved its farewell, and we clattered down the long slope into the great world.

  • We heard Aaron Kallaberger's stentorian tones as we clattered around the bend.

  • The sword clattered from his hand and rolled, with a pendulum-like movement, to the feet of Garnache.

    St. Martin's Summer | Rafael Sabatini
  • Wilder flung a slipper across the room that missed Tootles head and clattered among the paint-brushes.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for clatter

clatter

/ (ˈklætə) /


verb
  1. to make or cause to make a rattling noise, esp as a result of movement

  2. (intr) to chatter

noun
  1. a rattling sound or noise

  2. a noisy commotion, such as one caused by loud chatter

Origin of clatter

1
Old English clatrung clattering (gerund); related to Dutch klateren to rattle, German klatschen to smack, Norwegian klattra to knock

Derived forms of clatter

  • clatterer, noun
  • clatteringly, adverb
  • clattery, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012