clatter
rattling sound / to rattle / to make noise
NounIntransitive VerbTransitive Verb
pl: clatterspast: clatteredpp: clattereding: clattering
This word evokes a specific auditory texture of hard, inorganic materials colliding rapidly. It suggests a chaotic or rhythmic noise that is often irritating or disruptive, such as the sound of cutlery falling or a horse galloping on a paved road. As a noun, it describes the collective sound rather than a single impact. While it can be used as a countable noun to describe a single instance of the noise, it is frequently used as an uncountable mass noun to describe a general atmosphere of rattling sounds.