clatter

Clatter is a loud, rapid, rattling noise produced by hard objects striking or vibrating against one another. It functions as a noun (the clatter of pots) and a verb (to clatter). The sound is typically irregular and sharp, often produced by metal, ceramic, or wood.

Common contexts include domestic settings, where dishes and cookware clatter; transport and streets, where horses’ hooves or metal parts strike pavement; and machinery, where loose components cause bearings or gears to clatter. A clatter can indicate looseness or fault in equipment.

In literature and speech, clatter may describe noisy, rapid talk, as in the clatter of tongues, emphasizing volume and pace rather than musical quality.

Etymology is likely onomatopoeic, dating from the Middle English period, and the term has several related forms such as clattering.

Clatter differs from clang, which refers to a louder, more resonant sound; from rattle, which implies repeated, often metallic vibrations; and from bang, which denotes a single impact.