flurry

noun flur·ry \ ˈflər-ē , ˈflə-rē \

Definition of flurry

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 2

a flurry of insults

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

See flurry defined for English-language learners

See flurry defined for kids

Examples of flurry in a Sentence

We had a few flurries yesterday.
a flurry of activity on the floor of the stock market as soon as the news spread

Recent Examples of flurry from the Web

Shavings of celery, caraway seed, and a final flurry of bottarga were ingenious ingredients that allowed this compilation to make perfect sense.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "Dining at Decca is as illuminating as it is delicious | Review," 26 July 2017
The denial incited a flurry of headlines suggesting that Pence sought to put daylight between himself and the president and was reportedly viewed by some in the White House as an affront to President Trump.

— vanityfair.com, "Mike Pence’s Master Plan Goes Up in Smoke," 20 July 2017
While there's a flurry of activity in the days leading up to the fair, Hannon and the fair board spend the entire year working on it.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Annual Porter County fair kicks off 10-day run," 20 July 2017
Qualcomm is fighting a flurry of legal battles globally over its business practices.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Qualcomm loses appeal over documents demanded by European anti-trust regulator," 17 July 2017
More than a dozen people have been arrested in the incident, and a flurry of police complaints have been lodged.

— annie gowen, Washington Post, "Maids’ riot at luxury high-rise reignites debate over domestic labor in India," 15 July 2017
So did the unprecedented flurry of medical bulletins; the hospital put out more than a dozen of them between July 6th and his death.

— The Economist, "A Nobel laureate’s fateLiu Xiaobo, China’s best-known political prisoner, has died," 15 July 2017
His fans applauded the takedown, with a flurry of humorous GIFs and reactions.

— gabe bergado, Teen Vogue, ""The Flash's" Keiynan Lonsdale Shut Down a Troll's Homophobic Comment," 6 July 2017
A few seasons ago Céline made a simple long column dress that ended in a flurry of fringes.

— diana tsui, The Cut, "All You Need to Get Through Summer at the Office Is a Good Black Dress," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flurry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of flurry

probably from flurr to throw scatteringly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1686

See Words from the same year

flurry Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

recrudescence, recurrence, renewal; binge, jag, spree; boost, increase, pickup, upswing, upturn; epidemic, eruption, explosion, paroxysm; deluge, flood, rush, spate, surge, volley; commotion, furor, uproar

Near Antonyms

calm, doldrums, slump

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

flurry

verb

Definition of flurry

flurried; flurrying

transitive verb

:to cause to become agitated and confused

intransitive verb

:to move in an agitated or confused manner

Examples of flurry in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of flurry from the Web

In the event of a crisis, such as when snow flurries close schools, weather is all over the news.

— bonnie blodgett, Twin Cities, "Blundering Gardener: It’s time to give my plants a little TLC," 11 Mar. 2017

First Known Use of flurry

1749

flurry Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe, tranquilize (also tranquillize)

Related Words

aggravate, anger, annoy, bug, chafe, chivy (or chivvy), exasperate, fret, gall, get, grate, harass, harry, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put off, put out, rile, vex; bedevil, haunt, plague; abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, jar, mortify, nonplus, rattle, shake up; daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, unnerve

Near Antonyms

allay, alleviate, assuage; appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate

FLURRY Defined for English Language Learners

flurry

noun

Definition of flurry for English Language Learners

: a brief and light snowfall
: a brief period of excitement or activity
: a large amount of something that happens or comes suddenly

FLURRY Defined for Kids

flurry

noun flur·ry \ ˈflər-ē \

Definition of flurry for Students

plural flurries

1 :a gust of wind

2 :a brief light snowfall

3 :a brief outburst

There was a flurry of overhauling and painting …
—Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved

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Examples of flurry in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of flurry

flurry Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

flurry

Definition of flurry

Examples of flurry in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flurry from the Web

First Known Use of flurry

flurry Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

FLURRY Defined for English Language Learners

flurry

Definition of flurry for English Language Learners

FLURRY Defined for Kids

flurry

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