as in tears
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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tatters
Verb
-
There was laughter, nervous laughter, lots of nervous laughter, and also tears.—
Roberto Prieto,
Variety,
19 May 2026 -
But their fresh start is quickly upended when a wildfire tears through the property.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Potty-mouthed police officers and hill people try to cope with a mysterious creature that’s ripped their home to shreds.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
Most boxes focus on generic stuff that will either get ripped to shreds or tossed to the side.—
Rachel Cortez,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
Born in a Rio de Janeiro favela, few soccer players symbolize better the rags to riches from pitches underdog story.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
15 May 2026
-
Like so many historical myths, this swashbuckling tale of pirates, court accusations, and gossip, which frames the rags-to-riches emergence of this American family, is rife with historical fiction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
That begins when a sudden explosion rips the side off the house.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
On May 13, 2011 — 15 years ago to this day — the popular DC show concluded with a fist-pumping final scene where Clark rips open his shirt to display the iconic Superman logo while John Williams' unmistakable score rings like a battle cry.—
Sergio Pereira,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Pastoral care, safeguarding, academic standards, finance, HR, and operations all have to move as one unit, or the work fragments.—
Dan Fitzpatrick,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Loose bodies are cartilage or bone fragments that float around in the fluid of the elbow joint.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Most small jewelry items are a non-issue for body scanners, but larger, bulkier pieces may need to go into a bin.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
-
Misael eating meat alone, cutting up pieces with an enormous knife while barely lit by the flames in front of him, and, sporadically, almost-silent lightning bursts in the distant background.—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Denise and Mohamed bought new clothing for the other children, whereas Djena was given ratty hand-me-downs—even her bras were Denise’s castoffs.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
How The Partnership Came About Kelce, who even founded his own clothing company, is a longtime fan of fashion.—
Jeff Fedotin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Just scrape off large food scraps and let the dishwasher clean the rest.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
-
The wastepaper baskets were filled with real scraps of newspaper.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Tatters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tatters. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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