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
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as in shred
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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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
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If the tag recommends dry cleaning, washing in cold water in the washing machine, or tumble-drying on medium heat in the dryer, follow those instructions to avoid fading, shrinking, tearing, or otherwise compromising your duvet.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
31 May 2025
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Authorities said the inmates pulled open faulty sliding cell doors, tore out a bathroom to create a hole in the jail, and then climbed a wall to escape.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Sincerely, People with functioning eyes and a shred of honesty.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
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Please be advised that the dress code is either pastel-Easter-egg chic or ripped black shreds and absolutely nothing in between.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
Verb
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That’s one of the reasons why the play’s dialogue feels ripped from recent headlines.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
6 June 2025
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If your pup is fond of ripping open toys and removing the stuffing, use some of their fur to re-stuff the toy.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Study co-author and archaeological scientist Katerina Douka explains that this technique can be used to sort through large numbers of fragments in a way that is impractical for other methods such as DNA sequencing.—
Tom Hawking,
Popular Science,
5 June 2025
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That’s despite the fact that pyroclastic flows—ground-level, fast-moving clouds of extremely hot gas and volcanic fragments—are one of the most dangerous results of volcanic eruptions.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
4 June 2025
Noun
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Some of these dust particles may be the remnants of the countless tiny meteors that collide with Earth's atmosphere on a daily basis, while others were born of volcanic eruptions or pollution before getting carried high into the atmosphere.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
28 May 2025
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Netanyahu put all of his chips on Trump nonetheless—a wager that now threatens to cost the Israeli prime minister the remnants of his legacy.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, all public agricultural research and development focused on the climate in the U.S. is a fraction of Apple’s R&D, as if farming weren’t nearly as important as a better iPhone camera.—
Michael Grunwald,
The Atlantic,
3 June 2025
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His country remains one of the poorest in Asia: a quarter of the population lives near the subsistence level, foreign trade is minimal, and its GDP is a small fraction of South Korea’s.—
John Delury,
Foreign Affairs,
3 June 2025
Noun
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In 2018, inspired by this culture of bricolage, curator Danni Friedman and designer Jean Lee gathered a group of designers in Havana for a ten-day workshop, turning them loose in an old shipyard factory filled with clay, concrete mix, scrap metal, and assorted junk.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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Wang Cong Closing out the UFC 316 early prelims is a women’s flyweight scrap between Ariane da Silva (17-10) and Wang Cong (7-1).—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Noun
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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
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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 10 Jun. 2025.
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