patter
1to make a rapid succession of light taps: Raindrops patter on the windowpane.
to move or walk lightly or quickly: The child pattered across the room.
to cause to patter.
to spatter with something.
a rapid succession of light tapping sounds: the steady patter of rain on the tin roof.
the act of pattering.
Origin of patter
1Other words for patter
Words Nearby patter
Other definitions for patter (2 of 3)
meaningless, rapid talk; mere chatter; gabble.
the usually glib and rapid speech or talk used by a magician while performing, a barker at a circus or sideshow, a comedian or other entertainer, a vendor of questionable wares, or the like; stylized or rehearsed talk used to attract attention, entertain, etc.
amusing lines delivered rapidly by an entertainer or performer, as in a comic routine or in a song.
the jargon or cant of any class, group, etc.
to talk glibly or rapidly, especially with little regard to meaning; chatter.
to repeat a paternoster or other prayer in a rapid, mechanical way.
to recite or repeat (prayers, verses, etc.) in a rapid, mechanical way.
to repeat or say rapidly or glibly.
Origin of patter
2Other words from patter
- pat·ter·er, pat·er·ist, noun
How to use patter in a sentence
In a robotic patter, a guard read a proposal to change Navalny’s status at the prison.
While there are plenty of sounds to choose from, our favorites included the gentle patter of rainfall, which masked a bed partner’s snores.
In the patter around, and woven into, his brisk piano reading of “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” he recalled his late friend and longtime bandmate Clarence Clemons.
The Reopening of Springsteen on Broadway Brought Broadway Out of Hibernation—and One Packed Theater Into a Brighter Future | Stephanie Zacharek | June 28, 2021 | TimeDemi had been keeping up a soft patter of chat, but just now she wasn’t sure what to say.
How a rural Virginia town came together for an unforgettable pandemic prom | Hannah Natanson | May 7, 2021 | Washington Post“Without knowing it, during the kite chases I was learning how to get around — by sensing the currents of air and by listening to the patter of feet on a roof, to the scrapes of shoes along a wall,” he wrote.
Ved Mehta, whose monumental autobiography explored life in India, dies at 86 | Harrison Smith | January 12, 2021 | Washington Post
The scenes are succinct, by and large; the patter of the characters rolls right along, whether you catch their drift or not.
Novelist D. Foy Dubs His Debut ‘Gutter Opera’ And Who Are We To Argue? | J.T. Price | May 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut feverish speculation and the constant patter of Vaudevillian innuendo came to overshadow more serious business.
Francois Hollande Announces Breakup with First Lady Valerie Trierweiler | Tracy McNicoll | January 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHer father, Frederick Dalziel, was British and with a bearing and patter that suggested far more wealth than he had.
Understanding Diana Vreeland, ‘Empress of Fashion’ | Robin Givhan | November 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTYou pretty much can't get a better absurdist parody of politicians' vapid sure-is-nice-to-be-here patter than that.
My heart kept up its pitter-patter as I continued reading down the thread.
Daddy, How Come You’re Always Broke? Benjamin Anastas’s ‘Too Good to Be True’ | Benjamin Anastas | October 15, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThe short steps patter on the bridge connecting the upper rotunda with the cell-house, and pass along the gallery.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander BerkmanWhen the carriage-door was shut and the driver was mounting his box, the same old patter attracted my attention.
The Nursery, December 1881, Vol. XXX | VariousWeston looked up sharply as a patter of approaching footsteps rose out of the shadows behind him.
The Gold Trail | Harold BindlossAt that moment there was the sound of a scream, then the patter of running feet in the court below.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch | Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) PorterLet others who have more sin on their souls, and are more frighted by priests' patter, go if they list.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
British Dictionary definitions for patter (1 of 2)
/ (ˈpætə) /
(intr) to walk or move with quick soft steps
to strike with or make a quick succession of light tapping sounds
(tr) rare to cause to patter
a quick succession of light tapping sounds, as of feet: the patter of mice
Origin of patter
1British Dictionary definitions for patter (2 of 2)
/ (ˈpætə) /
the glib rapid speech of comedians, salesmen, etc
quick idle talk; chatter
the jargon of a particular group; lingo
(intr) to speak glibly and rapidly
to repeat (prayers) in a mechanical or perfunctory manner
Origin of patter
2Collins 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