flutter
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.
to cause to flutter; vibrate; agitate.
to throw into nervous or tremulous excitement; cause mental agitation; confuse.
a fluttering movement: He made little nervous flutters with his hands.
a state of nervous excitement or mental agitation: a flutter of anticipation.
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.
Origin of flutter
1synonym study For flutter
Other words for flutter
Other words from flutter
- flut·ter·er, noun
- flut·ter·ing·ly, adverb
- un·flut·tered, adjective
- un·flut·ter·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | THE DAILY BEASTEvery 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 | THE DAILY BEASTUnion 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 | THE DAILY BEASTTinkerbell 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 | THE DAILY BEASTAs he made his way across Gaza, Qatari flags fluttered from buildings and street corners, alongside Palestinian ones.
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 FanuShe 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 TatlowHer 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. LockeHe 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 KiplingHis cheap unbuttoned raglan-style coat fluttered in the wind off the Hudson.
British Dictionary definitions for flutter
/ (ˈflʌtə) /
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)
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
Origin of flutter
1Derived forms of flutter
- flutterer, noun
- flutteringly, adverb
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
Browse