flutter

verb

flut·ter | \ ˈflə-tər

fluttered; fluttering; flutters

Definition of flutter

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to flap the wings rapidly butterflies fluttering among the flowers

2a : 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.

flutter

noun

Definition of flutter (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act of fluttering

2a : a state of nervous confusion or excitement

b : flurry, commotion

c : abnormal spasmodic fluttering of a body part treatment of atrial flutter

3a : 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

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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: Verb

Then 5:43 into the third period, Chandler Stephenson's centering pass bounced off Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman and fluttered toward Brett Connolly, who managed to deflect the puck forward with the shaft of his stick. — Isabelle Khurshudyan, chicagotribune.com, "Home is hardly an advantage as Lightning even series vs. Capitals," 18 May 2018 Fresh off the heels of her successful Vegas residency—complete with extreme waist-grazing lengths and many a fluttering fake lash—Jennifer Lopez is heading back to the stage. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "Jennifer Lopez Announces Her Summer Tour—And Teases a Stage-Ready Beauty Look," 13 Feb. 2019 Play of the day Third-year wide receiver Keenan Reynolds sprinted past cornerback Neiko Thorpe at the line of scrimmage, turned and located a fluttering deep ball from quarterback Russell Wilson. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks training camp Day 4: What happened, injury report, photos and more," 30 July 2018 That’s somewhat to the detriment of Lilly’s role as Hope, who, in lieu of meaningful character development, has been gifted her own superheroic identity, the Wasp, complete with svelte shrinking suit and fluttering wings. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Ant-Man and the Wasp' is a bright, cheery tonic from the Marvel superhero factory," 27 June 2018 Batting a fluttering piece of frozen rubber 3 inches in diameter and 1-inch thick with a stick blade 2 to 3 inches wide is no simple task. — Washington Post, "Swing away: Swatting puck out of midair not uncommon or easy," 2 May 2018 There were fluttering butterflyfish, rock-threading needlefish and enough lemon-yellow tangs to fill a fruit stand. — Brian J. Cantwell, chicagotribune.com, "Rainy day on Maui? Here are 5 great things to do beyond the beach," 24 Apr. 2018 Yu Darvish could be undefeated with a microscopic ERA, and the sight of Jake Arrieta back at Wrigley Field in a different uniform would cause a Cubs fan’s heart to flutter. — David Haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Jake Arrieta, returning to Wrigley Field with Phillies, transformed Cubs into a team to be feared," 4 June 2018 Zhao eased through his high-flying beats and gliding brisés volés; Kuranaga preened and fluttered with her usual exquisite grace. — Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston Ballet reawakens ‘Sleeping Beauty’," 12 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Here, there, a flash, a flutter, an ecstasy of shrillings remind us that not all the birds have flown south. — Danny Heitman, WSJ, "An Ode to Holiday Companionship," 21 Dec. 2018 Photo: dado ruvic/Reuters Political wagers remain a small part of the £14.4 billion U.K. gambling industry, which is dominated by people having a flutter on sports like soccer and horse-racing. — Avantika Chilkoti, WSJ, "What Betting Markets Have to Say About Brexit," 24 Dec. 2018 As ballot boxes were brought into the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, the only noise was the flutter of votes being tallied, recalls Andrew Mitchell, a local Conservative MP. — The Economist, "Local elections may show a reconfiguration of British politics," 26 Apr. 2018 Listen to the chirps, whirs and flutter of the creatures that still stir and witness the night-blooming plants. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix in July: Splash pad parties, shark feeds and free fun," 28 June 2018 Listen to the chirps, whirs and flutter of the creatures that still stir and witness the night-blooming plants. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix this June: Westgate, Phoenix Art Museum, movie nights," 1 June 2018 Listen to the chirps, whirs and flutter of the creatures that still stir and witness the night-blooming plants. — Sonja Haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix this June: Westgate, Phoenix Art Museum, movie nights," 1 June 2018 Delirious sounds pumping out of a Farfisa organ flutter and spin around a droning backbeat. — Travis M. Andrews, chicagotribune.com, "Forty years ago, 'Rock Lobster' launched the career of the B-52s — and revived John Lennon's," 6 Apr. 2018 These drugs were Sutent and Inlyta, which both treat renal cell carcinoma, and Tikosyn, which treats arrhythmia in patients with atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Pfizer agrees to pay nearly $24M for illegally using a charity to pay kickbacks to Medicare patients," 24 May 2018

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