pitter-patter

American  

[pit-er-pat-er] / ˈpɪt ərˈpæt ər /

noun

1. the sound of a rapid succession of light beats or taps, as of rain, footsteps, etc.

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verb (used without object)

pitter-patters, present (3rd person singular) pitter-pattered, past participle, past pitter-pattering present participle

1. to produce or move with this sound.

   She pitter-pattered along the hallway.

adverb

1. with such a sound.

   to run pitter-patter through the house.

pitter-patter British  

/ ˈpɪtəˌpætə /

noun

1. the sound of light rapid taps or pats, as of raindrops

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verb

1. (intr) to make such a sound

adverb

1. with such a sound

   the rain fell pitter-patter on the window

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• pitter-pattering
  present
• pitter-pattered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pitter-patter
  simple
• pitter-patters
  simple
• have pitter-pattered
  perfect
• has pitter-pattered
  perfect
• am pitter-pattering
  progressive
• are pitter-pattering
  progressive
• is pitter-pattering
  progressive
• have been pitter-pattering
  perfect progressive
• has been pitter-pattering
  perfect progressive

Past

• pitter-pattered
  simple
• had pitter-pattered
  perfect
• was pitter-pattering
  progressive
• were pitter-pattering
  progressive
• had been pitter-pattering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pitter-patter
  simple
• will have pitter-pattered
  perfect
• will be pitter-pattering
  progressive
• will have been pitter-pattering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pitter-patter

1400–50; late Middle English: a babbled prayer; perhaps imitative

Example Sentences

It’s a flow of squeaking of tennis shoes and the pitter-patter of the ball hitting the concrete court until either Klugo or Chung scores.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

After greeting students, chasing a football around, "attacking" shoelaces and tights, and exploring parts of the school she has never seen before, the pitter-patter of puppy paws slows down.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

“We would wake to the pitter-patter of little feet in the middle of the night,” Groonwald recalls, saying that the experience taught her two lessons.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2023

Exhausted after a day of travel, I climbed onto the thin mattress and fell asleep listening to the pitter-patter of rain on the clay roof.

From New York Times • Sep. 25, 2022

And then there was a pitter-patter of feet, and Stephanie crawled into bed and they sort of slept the rest of the night under the robe that smelled like Daddy.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• sneak
• traipse