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
Synonyms
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
Jade Chung-Lee, PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
On a recent morning, a woman watched a group of toddlers crawling and tottering across the shelter’s rooftop terrace as laundry fluttered in the wind behind them.
—Andrei Popoviciu, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024
When a raindrop hits a leaf of a wheat plant that is infected with rust, the leaf will flutter and create these tiny swirling vortices of air that spreads the spores around.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 31 Jan. 2024
His shot from the point deflected off Morgan Frost's stick and fluttered past Ersson on his stick side.
—Dana Gauruder, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
But this is really about the birds, dancers draped in black with red socks, who angle their arms like wings with flickering fingers and swirl around the stage in fluttering lines.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This patience and restraint allows their songs to reveal deep oceans of emotion with the ease of a summer breeze fluttering ripples across a pond.
—Vrinda Jagota, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024
That seemed scarcely enough to flutter a leaf, rustle a feather in a circling raptor’s wing or cause even the most sensitive to clutch outer garments more tightly, in anticipation of winter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023
As Patrón trotted past, the models collectively fluttered like a swarm of starlings.
Upon returning, Patrón spent the rest of the evening at the bar, his front paws resting on its edge, as though waiting for a drink.
—Amanda Fortini, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Annie Blackman, Allure, 31 Mar. 2024
The sound of constant flutters echoed with the players’ every word.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Birdsong flicks and flutters in the air and her eyes follow it, darting side to side, blinking and rolling with every tiny quiver in the melody.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
Guitars flutter, an accordion wheezes and a singer unwinds the triumphant tale of Fernando Ochoa Jauregui, a Modesto-area builder of food trucks and trailers.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Its early focus has been on flutter and loads testing as well as flying-handling qualities.
—Eric Tegler, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
According to Paul, the ethos of a squadron, much like a company's corporate culture, transforms with every flutter in command – the embodiment of its commander’s spirit.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Both arms flutter in exultation as the angelic sound majestically rises, puncturing the heavens deeply until perfect silence lands at his hardened feet.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Bridging the stories are interludes during which the koto weaves its spell while a small white butterfly (with light bulb attached) flutters about.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
Verb
Our expert didn’t like the way the autofocus fluttered, but if that is a non-issue for your purposes, this is a great little camera for content creators on the go.
—Jade Chung-Lee, PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
On a recent morning, a woman watched a group of toddlers crawling and tottering across the shelter’s rooftop terrace as laundry fluttered in the wind behind them.
—Andrei Popoviciu, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2024
When a raindrop hits a leaf of a wheat plant that is infected with rust, the leaf will flutter and create these tiny swirling vortices of air that spreads the spores around.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 31 Jan. 2024
His shot from the point deflected off Morgan Frost's stick and fluttered past Ersson on his stick side.
—Dana Gauruder, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2024
But this is really about the birds, dancers draped in black with red socks, who angle their arms like wings with flickering fingers and swirl around the stage in fluttering lines.
—Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
This patience and restraint allows their songs to reveal deep oceans of emotion with the ease of a summer breeze fluttering ripples across a pond.
—Vrinda Jagota, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024
That seemed scarcely enough to flutter a leaf, rustle a feather in a circling raptor’s wing or cause even the most sensitive to clutch outer garments more tightly, in anticipation of winter.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 10 Dec. 2023
As Patrón trotted past, the models collectively fluttered like a swarm of starlings.
Upon returning, Patrón spent the rest of the evening at the bar, his front paws resting on its edge, as though waiting for a drink.
—Amanda Fortini, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
The adorably powerful vibe’s tongue piece swirls and flutters on your clit for intense waves of pleasure that work every time.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 31 Mar. 2024
The sound of constant flutters echoed with the players’ every word.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Birdsong flicks and flutters in the air and her eyes follow it, darting side to side, blinking and rolling with every tiny quiver in the melody.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
Guitars flutter, an accordion wheezes and a singer unwinds the triumphant tale of Fernando Ochoa Jauregui, a Modesto-area builder of food trucks and trailers.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Its early focus has been on flutter and loads testing as well as flying-handling qualities.
—Eric Tegler, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
According to Paul, the ethos of a squadron, much like a company's corporate culture, transforms with every flutter in command – the embodiment of its commander’s spirit.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
Both arms flutter in exultation as the angelic sound majestically rises, puncturing the heavens deeply until perfect silence lands at his hardened feet.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Bridging the stories are interludes during which the koto weaves its spell while a small white butterfly (with light bulb attached) flutters about.
—Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, 21 Jan. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near flutter
Cite this Entry
“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flutter. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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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