flutter

[ fluht-er ]

/ ˈflʌt ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flutter ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to wave, flap, or toss about: Banners fluttered in the breeze.

to flap the wings rapidly; fly with flapping movements.

to move in quick, irregular motions; vibrate.

to beat rapidly, as the heart.

to be tremulous or agitated.

to go with irregular motions or aimless course: to flutter back and forth.

verb (used with object)

to cause to flutter; vibrate; agitate.

to throw into nervous or tremulous excitement; cause mental agitation; confuse.

noun

a fluttering movement: He made little nervous flutters with his hands.

a state of nervous excitement or mental agitation: a flutter of anticipation.

flutter kick.

Audio. a variation in pitch resulting from rapid fluctuations in the speed of a recording.Compare wow²(def 1).

Chiefly British. a small wager or speculative investment.

Nearby words

fluted, fluter, flutey, fluting, flutist, flutter, flutter kick, flutter mill, flutter wheel, flutter-fibrillation, flutterboard

Origin of flutter

before 1000; Middle English floteren, Old English floterian, frequentative of flotian to float

SYNONYMS FOR flutter

2 See fly¹.

10 flurry, twitter, stir, dither.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flutter ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsflut·ter·er, nounflut·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·flut·tered, adjectiveun·flut·ter·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fluttered

Tinkerbell appeared with a wand and fluttered about as the film began to role.
Barneys Unveils Disney Themed Christmas Windows: An "Electric Holiday" Campaign|Misty White Sidell|November 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Her dresses often had hemlines that fluttered along the floor.
Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten Kick Off Paris Fall 2012 Fashion Week|Robin Givhan|March 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
She fluttered off, doing the wounded-bird trick, leaving behind her an egg and a newly hatched chick.
A Book-Lover's Holidays in the Open|Theodore Roosevelt
Patty was tender of her charge, as of some strange tropic bird that had fluttered into her homely nest.
A Fair Mystery|Bertha M. Clay

The galloping pulse slowed—and leaped again—and fluttered, and fell at last to even beats.
Uncle William|Jennette Lee
And, between the two, Ruth she was sort o' scared, and fluttered like a dove that didn't know jest where to settle.
Oldtown Fireside Stories|Harriet Beecher Stowe
They fluttered for freedom, like birds held captive in broad palms by completely caging fingers.
Eleven Possible Cases|Frank R. Stockton

British Dictionary definitions for fluttered

flutter

/ (ˈflʌtə) /

verb

to wave or cause to wave rapidly; flap

(intr) (of birds, butterflies, etc) to flap the wings

(intr) to move, esp downwards, with an irregular motion

(intr) pathol (of the auricles of the heart) to beat abnormally rapidly, esp in a regular rhythm

to be or make nervous or restless

(intr) to move about restlessly

swimming to cause (the legs) to move up and down in a flutter kick or (of the legs) to move in this way

(tr) British informal to wager or gamble (a small amount of money)

noun

a quick flapping or vibrating motion

a state of nervous excitement or confusion

excited interest; sensation; stir

British informal a modest bet or wager

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

electronics a slow variation in pitch in a sound-reproducing system, similar to wow but occurring at higher frequencies

a potentially dangerous oscillation of an aircraft, or part of an aircraft, caused by the interaction of aerodynamic forces, structural elastic reactions, and inertia

swimming See flutter kick

Also called: flutter tonguing music a method of sounding a wind instrument, esp the flute, with a rolling movement of the tongue

Derived Formsflutterer, nounflutteringly, adverb

Word Origin for flutter

Old English floterian to float to and fro; related to German flattern; see float

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

Word Origin and History for fluttered

flutter

Old English floterian "to flutter, fly, flicker, float to and fro, be tossed by waves," frequentative of flotian "to float" (see float (v.)). Related: Fluttered; fluttering. As a noun from 1640s; meaning "state of excitement" is 1740s.

flutter

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Origin of flutter

Examples from the Web for fluttered

British Dictionary definitions for fluttered

flutter

verb

noun

Word Origin for flutter

Word Origin and History for fluttered

flutter

Medicine definitions for fluttered

flutter

n.