flutter
Americanverb (used without object)
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to wave, flap, or toss about.
Banners fluttered in the breeze.
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to flap the wings rapidly; fly with flapping movements.
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to move in quick, irregular motions; vibrate.
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to beat rapidly, as the heart.
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to be tremulous or agitated.
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to go with irregular motions or aimless course.
to flutter back and forth.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to flutter; vibrate; agitate.
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to throw into nervous or tremulous excitement; cause mental agitation; confuse.
noun
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a fluttering movement.
He made little nervous flutters with his hands.
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a state of nervous excitement or mental agitation.
a flutter of anticipation.
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Audio. a variation in pitch resulting from rapid fluctuations in the speed of a recording.
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Chiefly British. a small wager or speculative investment.
verb
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to wave or cause to wave rapidly; flap
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(intr) (of birds, butterflies, etc) to flap the wings
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(intr) to move, esp downwards, with an irregular motion
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(intr) pathol (of the auricles of the heart) to beat abnormally rapidly, esp in a regular rhythm
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to be or make nervous or restless
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(intr) to move about restlessly
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swimming to cause (the legs) to move up and down in a flutter kick or (of the legs) to move in this way
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informal (tr) to wager or gamble (a small amount of money)
noun
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a quick flapping or vibrating motion
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a state of nervous excitement or confusion
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excited interest; sensation; stir
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informal a modest bet or wager
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pathol an abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (200 to 400 beats per minute), esp in a regular rhythm, sometimes resulting in heart block
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electronics a slow variation in pitch in a sound-reproducing system, similar to wow but occurring at higher frequencies
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a potentially dangerous oscillation of an aircraft, or part of an aircraft, caused by the interaction of aerodynamic forces, structural elastic reactions, and inertia
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swimming See flutter kick
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Also called: flutter tonguing. music a method of sounding a wind instrument, esp the flute, with a rolling movement of the tongue
Usage
What does flutter mean? To flutter is to wave, flap, or toss, usually in reference to wings. The baby robin fluttered its wings as it prepared to fly from the nest for the first time.To flutter is to move in a quick, irregular motion or to vibrate, as when a flag flutters in a small breeze. Often, the difference between flapping and fluttering is that fluttering wings move in an irregular pattern or so fast that you cannot distinguish individual flaps.A flutter is the movement of fluttering, as in The flutter of a hummingbird’s wings is so fast that it creates a buzzing sound.A flutter is also a figurative term that describes a moment of nervousness, such as you might feel before a big exam. Some people describe it as feeling like butterflies fluttering in their stomach. A fluttering stomach is a nervous one, perhaps feeling slightly queasy. Other people describe such a feeling as a fluttering heart, particularly when they feel nervous about someone they have romantic feelings for. This, too, is figurative.In medicine, flutter is used literally to describe an irregular heartbeat, often in the term atrial flutter, which can cause irregular blood flow and different issues in the body. If your heart flutters and it’s not temporary nervousness, you should tell your doctor.Example: I always get a little flutter the night before a performance.
Related Words
See fly 2.
Other Word Forms
- flutterer noun
- flutteringly adverb
- unfluttered adjective
- unfluttering adjective
Etymology
Origin of flutter
First recorded before 1000; Middle English floteren, Old English floterian, frequentative of flotian “to float ”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I want you to know that your parents, your grandparents and many Spaniards, united, managed to carry out an exemplary transition" in "very complex circumstances", he added with a Spanish flag fluttering in the background.
From Barron's
Amid fading light, the delicate fledglings fluttered in a wind portending a storm.
From Los Angeles Times
Blue-and-white Israeli flags fluttered in the wind, as mourners held the young lieutenant's portrait alongside a homemade banner reading: "We will remember forever."
From Barron's
The trial involved 200 patients who were regular coffee drinkers and had persistent AFib or a related condition known as atrial flutter, along with a history of AFib.
From Science Daily
As the gate is removed, I half expect the chicks to rush out but, but apart from a few flutters inside the aviary, nothing happens.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
