as in to tear
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the little boy tattered that blanket beyond repair by repeatedly yanking on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in shred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tatter
Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 15 July 2024
San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime.
—Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Verb
So where did Ransome’s tattered cozy knit end up after filming wrapped?
—Hanna Flanagan, PEOPLE.com, 3 Dec. 2019
This store, along with other Starbucks locations throughout the city, would fall prey to similar assaults during the day, leaving dozens of storefronts defaced and tattered.
—Grady McGregor, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2019
Noun
Their pitching staff then turned to tatters, heightening the importance of an offense that must mask it.
Including Tucker, seven of Houston’s qualified hitters finished the first half with an OPS+ of 100 or higher.
—Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 15 July 2024
San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime.
—Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatter
Verb
-
Since becoming president again, Trump has publicly torn into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but also tried to pressure Russia's Vladimir Putin to accept a peace deal.—
Time,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
-
In McEwen, Tennessee, about 50 miles west of Nashville, a tornado tore the roof off a house and trapped residents inside.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
To put it more directly: Iowa State, Colorado and Arizona better leave no shred of doubt in the remaining weeks of Big 12 play and the conference tournament to have a shot at March Madness.—
Mark Schindler,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
-
Trump’s contrived veneer is being ripped away to reveal an immoral, mendacious, transactional opportunist, without a shred of loyalty to anyone or anything but himself.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
But Paredes singled on a first-pitch fastball from Jax, and Alvarez ripped the reliever’s pitch for a no-doubt, two-run homer.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
-
And one protester had his sign ripped out of his hand, prompting others to jump in between the two men.—
Christina Merino,
Oc Register,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In addition to the atlatl, the archaeologists also found a fragment of a boomerang, long wooden tips that might have been used to deliver poison to prey, and wooden darts and stone tips.—
Livia Albeck-Ripka,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The fragments scattered themselves across the soft ground of Costa Rican jungle and grasslands, where they were subsequently found by meteorite hunters and volunteers.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In the cave site on northern Malta, scientists found trace remnants of the roasted carcasses of red deer, tortoises and birds, as well as the remains of the marine life that once swarmed around Malta.—
Saul Elbein,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
-
This image, captured by a South African radio telescope named MeerKAT, also shows the ghostly, bubble-like remnants of supernovas that exploded over millennia.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Chinese tariffs that will pummel soybeans, the primary aircraft category, the primary category for vaccines, plasma and blood fractions, cotton and grain sorghum.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Full Story Tax Watch Senate budget calls for fraction of cuts sought by House The Senate voted Thursday to advance its budget resolution, setting up a weekend vote for the upper chamber’s precursor bill for Republicans’ mainline tax cut and spending legislation.—
Aris Folley,
The Hill,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Then, toss in kitchen scraps such as banana peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and tea bags.—
Claire Hoppe Norgaard,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Apr. 2025
-
But over the next nine episodes of season one, now airing on Netflix, the audience is fed scraps of truth about Danny’s professional and personal relationships with Xander.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Mazzoli created a lush score that was alternately sweeping or intimate, sensuous or mystical, yet with a distinctive sound that was her own weaving a thread through the piece.—
Janelle Gelfand,
Cincinnati.com,
19 July 2017
-
This is why the war stories of Tom Clancy are such convincing and moving pieces of fiction.—
Janine Barchas,
Washington Post,
18 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Tatter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatter. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share