flurry

American  

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

noun

plural

flurries

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

Example Sentences

Most parts of the UK will be fairly sunny by day, but light snow flurries will affect the far north of Scotland, west Wales and some eastern counties of England.

From BBC

Holiday snowstorms across large swaths of the U.S. caused a flurry of cancellations ahead of the New Year—just in time for the year-end travel rush.

From The Wall Street Journal

Denis Diderot hoped that, in death, he would unite with his beloved as a flurry of molecules.

From The Wall Street Journal

The flurry of optimism represents a comeback of sorts.

From Barron's

Giant tech companies are closing the year with a flurry of deals as they position for further advances in artificial intelligence.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

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