declutter

/diːˈklʌtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /diːˈklʌtər/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˈ)dē-ˈklə-tər/ (ame, mw)

declutter — verb

  • declutterpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • decluttershe / she / it
  • declutteredpast simple
  • decluttering-ing form

1. to take away items that are no longer useful or needed from a room, shelf, or ot

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

to take away items that are no longer useful or needed from a room, shelf, or other space so that what remains is easier to live with and find.

例句

Iris spent the whole Saturday morning trying to declutter her tiny studio kitchen.

declutter + [place] for tidying a specific space

Before the new baby arrived, Kwame and his wife decluttered the spare bedroom completely.

past tense with named couple as agent

同義詞
  • tidy up

    broader; can mean just rearranging, while declutter specifically means removing things

  • clear out

    stronger; often suggests emptying a space more completely (e.g. a whole attic)

  • streamline

    more abstract; used of systems and routines as well as physical spaces

反義詞
  • clutter

    the direct opposite — to fill a space with too many things

  • hoard

    to keep and accumulate things, often beyond practical need

文法句型

declutter + [place/object]

declutter (no object)

用法筆記

Object is typically a physical space (room, desk, closet, garage) or the things inside it (papers, clothes, shelves). Often used intransitively when the focus is on the activity itself rather than a specific room.

常見錯誤

❌I decluttered some old clothes to the charity shop.
✅I decluttered my wardrobe and took some old clothes to the charity shop.
💡you declutter the space, not the items you give away.