flurry

American  

[flur-ee, fluhr-ee] / ˈflɜr i, ˈflʌr i /

noun

flurries plural

1. a light, brief shower of snow.

2. sudden commotion, excitement, or confusion; nervous hurry.

   There was a flurry of activity before the guests arrived.

   Synonyms:

   ado, fluster, fuss, to-do, stir, pother, upset

3. Stock Exchange.

   1. a brief rise or fall in prices.

   2. a brief, unusually heavy period of trading.

4. a sudden gust of wind.

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verb (used with object)

flurried, flurrying

1. to put (a person) into a flurry; confuse; fluster.

verb (used without object)

flurried, flurrying

1. (of snow) to fall or be blown in a flurry.

2. to move in an excited or agitated manner.

flurry British  

/ ˈflʌrɪ /

noun

1. a sudden commotion or burst of activity

2. a light gust of wind or rain or fall of snow

3. stock exchange a sudden brief increase in trading or fluctuation in stock prices

4. the death spasms of a harpooned whale

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verb

1. to confuse or bewilder or be confused or bewildered

Other Word Forms

• flurriedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of flurry

1680–90, blend of flutter and hurry

Explanation

A light blowing swirl of snow that's just barely falling is a flurry. There might be a brief flurry or two at the beginning of the winter, with no real heavy snow until January. You can describe a snow flurry, or a similarly swirling flurry of leaves or papers. When people act this way, rushing and fussing around, that's another kind of flurry. There might, for example, be a flurry of activity in the morning at your house as everyone hurries to get ready for the day. This sense of flurry is actually about a hundred years older than the snow meaning, which was first used in mid-1800's American English.

Example Sentences

Thursday’s flurry of budget votes offered a sharp contrast to last year’s deliberations, when council members scrambled to eliminate a $1-billion shortfall while minimizing cuts to the city workforce.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Despite no organized opposition, a flurry of cities, as well as the editorial board of the Los Angeles Daily News, have loudly spurned the idea, arguing it will make the region even less affordable.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Nixon acknowledged that China would come in for a flurry of criticism at first.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

There was a flurry of excitement as Independent candidate Captain Beany arrived at Afan Ogwr Rhondda count for the Senedd on Friday afternoon.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

In low tones, she told her husband that there had been “a burglary,” a remark which—repeated by a well-meaning eavesdropper to his neighbor—spread rapidly around the room and generated a flurry of unwanted concern.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Related Words

• furor
• outbreak
• spurt
• squall
• turmoil
• whirl
• whirlwind