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
Janie Har, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2024
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 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
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
Smith’s office is now consigned to assess the tatters in which the court’s ruling has left its prosecution and determine, like a homeowner after a tornado has touched down, what can be salvaged.
—Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for tatter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatter
Verb
-
In January 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires tore through Southern California, consuming thousands of homes and reducing neighborhoods and critical infrastructure to ashes.—
Trevor Riggen,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
June is visibly torn between the two loves of her life: Luke and Nick (Max Minghella), the latter of who continues to risk everything to save her no matter the consequences.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
When the last shreds of sunlight vanish, everyone pulls their car up to the field and turns on their headlights.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Waste management giant Veolia shreds blades into small pieces that go in kilns to replace the coal, sand and clay required to make cement.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
There’s a letter carrier called Penny Pal (Jenny Slate) that can rip people’s hearts out.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
-
The Tampa Bay Rays were all set to break ground on a new stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, when Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field last October, rendering the venue unplayable.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Microplastics are fragments of plastic measuring less than five millimeters long—some may be the size of a pencil eraser, while others are several times smaller than the width of a human hair.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 Mar. 2025
-
The fragment, discovered in 2022, was first reported in the journal Nature on Wednesday with new details.—
Evan Bush,
NBC News,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Syria violence Armed men loyal to the Syrian government carried out field executions and spoke of purifying the country, according to eyewitnesses and video, providing a gruesome picture of a crackdown against remnants of the former Assad regime that spiraled into communal killings.—
Tricia Escobedo,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
But, again, not necessarily with the need to sweep the previous area under some rug to be hauled away with the remaining remnants of Miami Arena.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
To leverage this competitive advantage fully, businesses must prioritize funding women-founded AI startups, which currently receive only a fraction of venture capital investment despite often delivering higher returns on investment.—
Committee of 200,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
However, that is a fraction of the baggage fees collected by other airlines, with American Airlines collecting $1.4 billion in 2023, while United Airlines pulled in $1.2 billion and Delta Air Lines garnering $985 million.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN,
11 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Like the customers in that Maryland pizza parlor, the public has grafted their own experiences, biases, and political views onto the scraps of Mangione’s background that have been reported so far.—
Lorena O'Neil,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2025
-
The band, which hails from the Ciudad Juarez/El Paso borderlands, plays a brand of music that takes scraps of genres like cumbia sonidera, funk and pop to create something wholly unique.—
Fidel Martinez,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 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 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share