flurry

1 of 2

noun

flur·​ry ˈflər-ē 

ˈflə-rē

plural flurries

1

a

: a gust of wind

b

: a brief light snowfall

2

a

: a brief period of commotion or excitement

b

: a sudden occurrence of many things at once : barrage sense 2

a flurry of insults

3

: a brief advance or decline in prices : a short-lived outburst of trading activity

flurry

2 of 2

verb

flurried; flurrying

transitive verb

: to cause to become agitated and confused

intransitive verb

: to move in an agitated or confused manner

Synonyms

Noun

• burst
• flare
• flare-up
• flash
• flicker
• flutter
• outbreak
• outburst
• spurt

Verb

• agitate
• ail
• alarm
• alarum
• bother
• concern
• derail
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• disquiet
• distemper
• distract
• distress
• disturb
• exercise
• frazzle
• freak (out)
• fuss
• hagride
• perturb
• undo
• unhinge
• unsettle
• upset
• weird out
• worry

Examples of flurry in a Sentence

Noun

We had a few flurries yesterday.

a flurry of activity on the floor of the stock market as soon as the news spread

Verb

flurried by visions of falls and broken bones, the parents wouldn't even allow the child to ride a bike

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The rule’s adoption comes amid a flurry of new regulations from the Biden administration as the Democrat seeks reelection to a second term in November. —Matthew Brown, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024

After meeting with a flurry of doctors, Munn moved forward with a surgical plan that spanned a lymph node dissection, a nipple delay procedure (a surgical procedure which spares the nipples) and a double mastectomy within 30 days. —Andrea Mandell, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from flurr to throw scatteringly

First Known Use

Noun

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1749, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

flurry

1 of 2 noun

flur·​ry ˈflər-ē 

ˈflə-rē

plural flurries

1

a

: a gust of wind

b

: a brief light snowfall

2

: a sudden commotion

a flurry of publicity

3

: a brief outburst of activity

a flurry of trading in the stock exchange

flurry

2 of 2 verb

flurried; flurrying

: to become or cause to become agitated and confused