fluttered; fluttering; flutters
1
: to flap the wings rapidly
butterflies fluttering among the flowers
2
a
: to move with quick wavering or flapping motions
a sail fluttering in the wind
b
: to vibrate in irregular spasms
his heart fluttered
3
: to move about or behave in an agitated aimless manner
She nervously fluttered around the office.
: to cause to flutter
The bird was fluttering its wings.
1
: an act of fluttering
2
3
a
: a distortion in reproduced sound similar to but of a higher pitch than wow
b
: fluctuation in the brightness of a television image
4
: an unwanted oscillation (as of an aileron or a bridge) set up by natural forces
5
chiefly British
: a small speculative venture or gamble
Examples of flutter in a Sentence
Verb
The bird was fluttering its wings.
The bird's wings were fluttering.
We watched the butterflies fluttering in the garden.
Leaves fluttered to the ground.
The breeze made the curtains flutter.
The breeze fluttered the curtains.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
She nervously fluttered around the office.
Noun
With a flutter of wings, the birds settled into the nest.
The flutter of the flame cast shadows on the ceiling.
He was in a flutter until he found his keys.
The news of her resignation caused quite a flutter.
have a flutter on a horse in the second race
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 May 2025
The red and yellow of Vietnam’s national flag was everywhere in the city — fluttering from buildings, painted on the faces of eager teenagers and on the T-shirts of those who had traveled to the city from all over the country.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
Newcastle fans can feel justifiably angry by the notion that a team will waltz off with their No 9 with a flutter of eyelashes and a wad of cash.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flutter
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Verb
His shot from just beyond the left circle deflected off Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly before fluttering past goaltender Joseph Woll and into the net.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 May 2025
The red and yellow of Vietnam’s national flag was everywhere in the city — fluttering from buildings, painted on the faces of eager teenagers and on the T-shirts of those who had traveled to the city from all over the country.
—Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
Newcastle fans can feel justifiably angry by the notion that a team will waltz off with their No 9 with a flutter of eyelashes and a wad of cash.
—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flutter
Cite this Entry
“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flutter. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flutter
1 of 2 verb
flut·ter
ˈflət-ər 
1
: to move or cause the wings to move rapidly without flying or in short flights
butterflies flutter
2
: to move with quick wavering or flapping motions
flags fluttered in the breeze
3
: to move about or behave in an excited aimless manner
flutter
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of fluttering
2
3
: an unsteadiness of pitch in reproduced sound
Medical Definition
flutter
noun
flut·ter
ˈflət-ər
: an abnormal rapid spasmodic and usually rhythmic motion or contraction of a body part
diaphragmatic flutter
affected with ventricular flutter
flutter
intransitive verb
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