flutter

1 of 2

verb

flut·​ter ˈflə-tər How to pronounce flutter (audio)
fluttered; fluttering; flutters

intransitive verb

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.

transitive verb

: to cause to flutter
The bird was fluttering its wings.
flutterer noun
fluttery adjective

flutter

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act of fluttering
2
a
: a state of nervous confusion or excitement
c
: abnormal spasmodic fluttering of a body part
treatment of atrial flutter
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 See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Western monarch numbers plummeted in the winter of 2020-2021, when less than 2,000 of the striking pollinators were counted across all of their overwintering haunts — a gasp-worthy drop from the roughly 20,000 fluttering around a few years prior. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 Amid the bright fabric booths and fluttering banners, actors improvised in the streets, bantering with patrons. Gillian Bagwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023 At Cornell University, in a lab run by physics professor Jane Wang, PhD, paper gliders plunge, swoop, and flutter through the air. Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 In Hollywood and on dance floors across the world, people fluttered blue-colored lashes to the beat of pop music. Pia Velasco, Allure, 6 Nov. 2023 On the rooftop of a wedding planning boutique, young men clutched large red, white, black and green Palestinian flags that fluttered in the breeze. Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2023 Still, as a once-avid fan of the flaming-haired singer-songwriter, something in my heart fluttered upon seeing Ed’s name on a bottle of hot sauce. Megan Wahn, Bon Appétit, 30 Oct. 2023 We are crouched among the towering hardwoods of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda's southwest, with orange butterflies fluttering among the plants. Noo Saro-Wiwa, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2023 The curtains, which blow madly toward me during bombings, flutter in the breeze. Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2023
Noun
Its souvenir shop is closed, and the swimming pool has been drained, but the dining room offers three meals a day, the lobby heaves with strollers, and laundry flutters from the balconies of rooms packed with families. Adam Goldman Avishag Shaar-Yashuv, New York Times, 13 Nov. 2023 Sea oats flutter and blanket flowers (also called gaillardias) bloom yellow and red on the dunes. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2023 There’s the little flutters and everything like that. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 9 Oct. 2023 Throughout the poem flutter phrases that seem to have been occasioned by sightings of U.F.O.s. Kamran Javadizadeh, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 An American flag flutters over the small power plant, 200 miles upstream of Hells Canyon. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2023 Despite featuring adolescent protagonists, this journey into maturity holds major emotional stakes but few flutters of careless abandon. Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Aug. 2023 The two-level garden feels like a slice of rainforest jungle and includes a cave-like tunnel and 20-foot waterfall, around which butterflies flutter between colorful flowers. Chris Schalkx, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2023 At the cultural center, a Russian tricolor flag flutters above. Sebastian Shukla, CNN, 18 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flutter.' 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

Verb and Noun

Middle English floteren to float, flutter, from Old English floterian, frequentative of flotian to float; akin to Old English flēotan to float — more at fleet

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flutter was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flutter

Cite this Entry

“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flutter. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

flutter

1 of 2 verb
flut·​ter ˈflət-ər How to pronounce flutter (audio)
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
fluttery adjective

flutter

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of fluttering
2
3
: an unsteadiness of pitch in reproduced sound

Medical Definition

flutter

noun
flut·​ter ˈflət-ər How to pronounce flutter (audio)
: an abnormal rapid spasmodic and usually rhythmic motion or contraction of a body part
diaphragmatic flutter
affected with ventricular flutter
flutter intransitive verb

More from Merriam-Webster on flutter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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