flutter

[ fluht-er ]

/ ˈflʌt ər /

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See synonyms for: flutter / fluttered / fluttering 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR flutter

10 flurry, twitter, stir, dither.

See synonyms for flutter on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of flutter

First recorded before 1000; Middle English floteren, Old English floterian, frequentative of flotian “to float”

synonym study for flutter

2. See fly².

OTHER WORDS FROM flutter

flut·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. 2022

How to use flutter in a sentence

Pages from the Quran fluttered in the air before landing gently on the rubble.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every other squadron was armed with lances, from the metal points of which fluttered yellow and white pennons.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Union Jacks fluttered over the pawn shops and gutted houses.
Welcome to Woolwich, Where English Terrorists Say Sorry While They Murder|Peter Pomerantsev|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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

As he made his way across Gaza, Qatari flags fluttered from buildings and street corners, alongside Palestinian ones.
Qatar: Gaza’s New BFF|Dan Ephron|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Her heart fluttered violently with fear as she saw that he stepped out after her, and walked by her side toward the house.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
She became my sweetheart, temporarily; but a born butterfly, she soon fluttered away, leaving me disconsolate—for a time!
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Her pale face flushed ever so slightly and the soft eyes fluttered at him a half-astonished, half-grateful glance.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
He stooped to knot up his long, wet hair, and the parrot fluttered to his shoulder.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
His cheap unbuttoned raglan-style coat fluttered in the wind off the Hudson.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for flutter

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 forms of flutter

flutterer, 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

Medical definitions for flutter

flutter

[ flŭt′ər ]

Abnormally rapid pulsation, especially of the atria or ventricles of the heart.

flutter

OTHER WORDS FOR flutter

Origin of flutter

synonym study for flutter

OTHER WORDS FROM flutter

Words related to flutter

How to use flutter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flutter

Derived forms of flutter

Word Origin for flutter

Medical definitions for flutter