1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
the site saw a flutter of construction last month, but nothing's happening now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in venture
chiefly British
a risky undertaking
most people regard the lottery as a harmless flutter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to flit
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
a lonely butterfly fluttering across the lawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to flap
to move or cause to move with a striking motion
fluttered my eyelashes as I struck up a conversation with the new guy at work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flutter
Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
An American flag flutters outside a Honda automobile dealership in Irvine, California, U.S., March 27, 2025.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
While some birds can flutter in place momentarily, the hummingbird can hover in one place for an extended period, fly forward or backward, and move at an incredible speed.
—Ernie Cowan, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flutter
Noun
The condition was an atrial flutter — something Harbaugh had dealt with twice before in his life.
—Daniel Popper, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
An American flag flutters outside a Honda automobile dealership in Irvine, California, U.S., March 27, 2025.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Around the world, the magic of spring brings new growth and new hope: birds returning from their winter migrations, cherry blossoms, greening trees, busy bees, fluttering butterflies, courting rituals and baby animals.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
While some birds can flutter in place momentarily, the hummingbird can hover in one place for an extended period, fly forward or backward, and move at an incredible speed.
—Ernie Cowan, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flutter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flutter
Noun
-
The news spread quickly, and the prospect of IDR payments doubling or tripling for some married borrowers led to a flurry of questions, distress on social media, and even talk of extreme measures.—
Shahar Ziv,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
In a flurry of diplomatic developments over the weekend, Russia shunned the ceasefire proposal tabled by the U.S. and European leaders, but offered direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
The investor group was led by Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and tech entrepreneur and Serena Williams’s husband, Alexis Ohanian.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
-
As a result, these larger portfolio mandates require management to juggle multiple properties and strategies, including joint ventures, developments and debt investments.—
Chay Lapin,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
-
Visitors can fish, swim, and paddle on Lake Shelby, see native flora and fauna at the Nature Center on Middle Lake, and flit around the Butterfly Garden east of Little Lake.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Just don’t get too set on a bedtime—the aurora borealis might surprise you by flitting across the sky on a cloudless night.—
Maggie Fuller,
AFAR Media,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The doves in the poignant, almost twenty-five-hundred-year-old sculpture look very much like the pigeons walking and flapping around the museum’s plaza along Fifth Avenue, out front.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
From their Alaskan breeding grounds, the curlews will make an epic migration of at least 2,500 miles to northwestern Hawaii—and some will even flap as far as the South Pacific, tacking an additional 1,250 miles onto their journey.—
Carlyn Kranking,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The pair hoped to make progress against urea-cycle disorders – inherited metabolic problems, like KJ’s that leave young children vulnerable to bursts of damaging ammonia.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
-
The 23-year-old has the raw materials to become a decent striker, including a decent burst of acceleration, but needs to play more to develop, which might not happen at Barca.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
Become a Subscriber Eating romaine lettuce is especially a gamble right now.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
7 May 2025
-
It can be said that investing is inherently a gamble.—
True Tamplin,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
McDavid darted around the ice with his usual flair and notched three helpers.—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Vacationers who were camping nearby tried to capture the dog, but she got spooked and darted off into the wilderness.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Deep shadows settle into the brickwork on each building, giving every texture a sense of depth missing from the original release, and the flicker from fires makes even lonely alleyways feel alive with action as flames lick and light and shadow dance around dynamically.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Yet still there are ghosts in the machine; death and myth and the potency of belief, even when ill-defined, fill the world with strange flickers and shadows.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flutter. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share