I. ˈkləd.ə(r), -ətə- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: alteration of earlier clotter, from Middle English clotteren to clot, from clot + -eren (freq. suffix) — more at clot
transitive verb
1. dialect : to crowd together in disorder
2. : to fill or cover with things in disorder or scattered at random or with things that impede movement or action or reduce effectiveness
a cluttered room
an author … may clutter his explanations with digressive evidence that delays the reader — G.W.Sherburn
— often used with up
the roads of France cluttered up with refugees — Henri Peyre
intransitive verb
1. now chiefly dialect
a. : to run together in knots or confused crowds : run in disorder
b. : to make a confused noise : bustle
2. archaic : to speak confusedly or inarticulately : jumble words
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a crowded or confused mass or collection
a clutter of shops and tenements
: a mass of disorderly or distracting objects or details
pure and noble design, unspoiled by clutter or ornament — E.K.Brown
steaming … seaward among a clutter of sister ships — K.M.Dodson
b. : litter , disorder
photographs … propped up amid a clutter of china ornaments — Hamilton Basso
pushing aside the clutter on the table — Harriet LaBarre
c. : the visual indication on a radar screen of interference or echo from objects other than the target tending to obscure target indication — compare sea return
2. now dialect : turmoil or confusion of movement or activity : disturbance , hubbub : confused noise
ladies who were apt to make the greatest clutter upon such occasions — Jonathan Swift
Synonyms: see confusion