Smatter

//ˈsmæt.ə// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A smattering (small number or amount).

    "a smatter of applause"

  2. 2
    A smattering (superficial knowledge).
Verb
  1. 1
    To talk superficially; to babble, chatter. intransitive

    "What standest thou there all the day smatterynge"

  2. 2
    speak with spotty or superficial knowledge wordnet
  3. 3
    To speak (a language) with spotty or superficial knowledge. transitive

    "The languages of Polynesia are easy to smatter, though hard to speak with elegance."

  4. 4
    to talk foolishly wordnet
  5. 5
    To study or approach superficially; to dabble in. figuratively, transitive
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    work with in an amateurish manner wordnet
  2. 7
    To have a slight taste, or a slight, superficial knowledge, of anything; to smack.

Synonyms

All synonyms
babblebabbleblatherbletherblitherburst

Example

More examples

"What standest thou there all the day smatterynge"

Etymology

From Middle English smatteren, smateren. Compare Swedish smattra, Danish and Norwegian smadre (all of which mean to patter), German schmettern (“to resound”).

Related phrases

smatter-hauling

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.