flurry

1 of 2

noun

flur·​ry ˈflər-ē How to pronounce flurry (audio)
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

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 flurry of armed confrontations could be just such a phenomenon, concealing no deeper meaning: Some of the frozen conflicts, for instance, were due for flare-ups or had gone quiet only recently. Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023 But a flurry of new research suggests that dangerous tipping points are nearer than once thought and that there is likely less room in Earth’s carbon budget than expected. Evan Bush, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2023 The host city of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games (July 26-August 11) and Paralympic Games (August 28-September 8) will welcome visitors with a flurry of new hotels and restaurants. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023 Of course, the flurry of smartphone cameras trying to capture every living second of this planet in the TikTok era has also helped to destigmatize wearable cameras. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 15 Nov. 2023 The enhanced focus on DEI post-George Floyd sparked a flurry of race and ethnicity target setting. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 15 Nov. 2023 The teen-ager looks around for any flurries of white—as the birds’ bright stomachs can be spotted against the dark. Jessica Bishopp, The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2023 The variety of needs—and energy sources—is apparent in a flurry of recent energy-harvesting research, including some hybrid work that integrates multiple modalities. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Nov. 2023 White House to unveil sweeping artificial intelligence order tackling immigration and safety The order comes amid a flurry of efforts to craft new laws, conduct consumer protection probes and collaborate with international regulators to curb the risks of AI. Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023
Verb
In nearly all snow-prone parts of the country, expect higher-than-usual rates of snowfall, with an early start and late end to flurry season. Karla Walsh, Country Living, 1 Sep. 2023 Joe Mazzulla called a rare timeout to settle his team, with a 6-point Boston flurry in the next 83 seconds growing the lead back to 18. Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Apr. 2023 With only nine ticks off the clock, Hathaway and Maroon tangled in a protracted dirty dance — Tevye, some foot stompin’ music, please — and flurry of heavy shots along the boards near the Tampa bench. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2023 Simple math made answering that flurry difficult. Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2023 Can’t rule out a sprinkle or flurry either day. Matt Rogers, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2022 Passing sprinkle or flurry? Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, 10 Oct. 2020 The university had scrambled to set up banks of portable toilets, a large screen on the lawn to simulcast what was happening onstage in the chapel and heat lamps, when the temperature dropped and snow began to flurry. Ruth Graham Jesse Barber, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2023 In a sun-lit room, Lily Aldrige and Jasmine Tookes sit serenely as a team of hair and makeup artists flurry around them. Ian Malone, Vogue, 6 May 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flurry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of flurry was in 1686

Dictionary Entries Near flurry

Cite this Entry

“Flurry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flurry. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

flurry

1 of 2 noun
flur·​ry ˈflər-ē How to pronounce flurry (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on flurry

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