From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishin tattersin tattersa) DAMAGEif a plan or someone’s reputation is in tatters, it is ruined Tonight, the peace agreement lies in tatters. His credibility is in tatters after a series of defeats and failures. b) DCTEARclothes that are in tatters are old and torn → tatters
Examples from the Corpus
in tatters• After the war, the country's economy was in tatters. 