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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Stone had to tear that idea apart to even begin to express himself freely but never quite shook anyone’s pining for his art to be more or less in line with what the industry thought Black music sounded like: Motown, jazz, and gospel rolled up in a ball.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
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Give the hydrangea blooms a generous coating of hairspray, spritzing a few inches away in order not to disturb or tear the individual petals.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
12 June 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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He was surrounded by the remnants of war and hardship: a rough neighborhood in which dominance and toughness served him well.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
-
This skybridge, just off Park Avenue, is also a remnant of a building designed for another purpose: to shield famous daughters from the prying eyes of the Upper East Side.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
3 June 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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Meanwhile, in the UFC Atlanta co-main event, former two-time UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas faces the rising Miranda Maverick in a flyweight scrap.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
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Authorities were able to track down the suspect thanks to fingerprints on the bag covering the woman and a scrap of a tent like ones provided to people without shelter, the newspaper said.—
Colleen Barry,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 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 18 Jun. 2025.
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