overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

clatter.

To make a rattling sound.

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ˈklætəː/Received-Pronunciation[ˈklætʰəː]Received-Pronunciation/ˈklæɾɚ/General-American[ˈklæɾɹ̩]General-American
  1. To make a rattling sound.

    intransitive
  2. To chatter noisily or rapidly.

    intransitive
  3. To hit; to smack.

    Northern-England
Where this word comes from

From Middle English clatren (“to make a rattling sound”), from Old English *clatrian (attested as the Late Old English gerund clatrung), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Dutch klateren, kletteren. The noun, derived from the verb, is first attested in the 14ᵗʰ century.

noun/ˈklætəː/Received-Pronunciation[ˈklætʰəː]Received-Pronunciation/ˈklæɾɚ/General-American[ˈklæɾɹ̩]General-American
  1. A rattling noise; a repetition of abrupt, sharp sounds.

  2. A loud disturbance.

  3. Noisy talk or chatter.

  4. A large group, especially of sibling children; a lot

    Ireland · informal
  5. Alternative form of clitter; scree.

    alt-of · alternative
Where this word comes from

From Middle English clatren (“to make a rattling sound”), from Old English *clatrian (attested as the Late Old English gerund clatrung), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Dutch klateren, kletteren. The noun, derived from the verb, is first attested in the 14ᵗʰ century.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

clatter has 7 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

clatter studioclatter workshello, clatter

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.