fluster

[ fluhs-ter ]
See synonyms for: flusterflusteredflusters on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to put into a state of agitated confusion: His constant criticism flustered me.

  2. to excite and confuse with drink.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become agitatedly confused.

noun
  1. nervous excitement or confusion.

Origin of fluster

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English flostren; cf. bluster, Old Norse flaustra “to hurry”

Other words for fluster

Words Nearby fluster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fluster in a sentence

  • He recalls bad dates, good brothers, the process of coming out, and the fluster of being outed.

  • There was no longer any fluster of doubt and hesitation in his manner.

    A Houseful of Girls | Sarah Tytler
  • The three sisters took care of themselves and their house with the elegant ease and lack of fluster of gentlewomen born and bred.

    The Yates Pride | Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
  • The Doctor said that he should himself bear them company, leaving the "younger men" to "fume and fluster and explore."

    East Angels | Constance Fenimore Woolson
  • For all his affectation of leisureliness and her obvious fluster, no doubt about it, Joe was gaining on her.

    The Magnetic North | Elizabeth Robins (C. E. Raimond)

British Dictionary definitions for fluster

fluster

/ (ˈflʌstə) /


verb
  1. to make or become confused, nervous, or upset

noun
  1. a state of confusion or agitation

Origin of fluster

1
C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic flaustr to hurry, flaustra to bustle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012