clutter up
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To fill or occupy a space in a disorderly, messy, or untidy way, often with an excessive number of objects.
Usage
- The verb "clutter up" is used to describe the action of making a space messy or untidy by filling it with too many things. It often implies a negative judgment, suggesting the space is less functional or pleasant as a result.
- It is a transitive phrasal verb, requiring a direct object (the space being filled).
- Common structures: "clutter up [a place/space]" or "[things] clutter up [a place/space]".
Examples
- Verb:
- Please don't clutter up the kitchen counter with all those papers.
- Old toys and books were cluttering up the hallway.
- Too many decorations can clutter up a room and make it feel small.
Advanced Usage
- "to be cluttered up": The passive form describes the state of a space.
- The attic was cluttered up with forgotten furniture.
- Often used in the imperative or as advice/instruction to avoid creating mess.
- Try not to clutter up your desk; it helps with concentration.
Variants and Related Words
- Clutter (verb): To crowd or litter with things in a disorderly manner. (Often used interchangeably with "clutter up," though "clutter up" can emphasize the result more.)
- Magazines cluttered the table.
- Clutter (noun): A collection of things lying about in a disordered state.
- She cleared the clutter from her desk.
- Cluttered (adjective): Filled with clutter; untidy.
- He couldn't work in such a cluttered office.
Synonyms
- Litter: To make a place untidy by leaving rubbish or objects scattered about.
- Jumble: To mix or confuse things in a disordered pile.
- Fill haphazardly: To fill something in a random, disorganized way.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Mess up: To make something dirty or untidy. (More general than "clutter up," which specifically implies filling with objects.)
- The children messed up the living room with their toys.
- Pile up: To accumulate or form a disorderly heap.
- Laundry was piling up in the corner.
Related Idioms
- A place for everything and everything in its place: A proverb advocating for order, the opposite of cluttering things up.
- Clear the decks: To tidy up by removing unnecessary items, often to prepare for a new task. This is the action one takes a space has been cluttered up.
Verb
- fill a space in a disorderly way