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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And yet, the poem’s haunting finale carried a shred of hope.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
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Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for about 3 1/2 hours until meat shreds easily.—
Catherine Jessee,
Southern Living,
6 May 2025
Verb
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Now the Trump administration wants to negate that argument by asserting that to harm an endangered species means only to injure or kill it directly: to rip it out by the roots or blow it away with a shotgun.—
Emma Marris,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2025
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The Tangipahoa Jail is about 70 miles away from New Orleans, where 10 inmates escaped by ripping a toilet and sink unit from the wall and climbing through a hole on May 16.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Noun
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Back in 2022, the coroner stated that investigators believe the 10,000 human bones and fragments found at Baumeister’s property in the 1990s could belong to 25 victims.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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The fragments of the sixth century Byzantine bucket have fascinated researchers since a tractor harrow accidentally unearthed the pieces in 1986.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
24 May 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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At 64,000 square feet, the Birch is only a fraction of the size of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and of the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
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The blockade marked the start of a prolonged crisis, with only a fraction of previous aid levels allowed in since.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Probably not, but Paul has been getting the better of all the scraps between the two on WWE programming.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
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The owner of that scrap metal yard agreed in a settlement with the city in 2023 that his business would only purchase legally obtained catalytic converters and copper wire.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
19 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 4 Jun. 2025.
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