Definition

1. 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

1. fill a space in a disorderly way