chitter

Definition of chitternext
as in to chirp
to make a short sharp sound like a small bird the chittering birds outside were driving the cat crazy the cell phone chittered in his pocket

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 chitter Harding sings in the hooded, lower end of her range, and the music is filled with nighttime sounds—chittering percussion, organ. Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026 The picture of an American springtime usually looks something like this: sunny days, chittering birds, and, on many suburban streets, a congested driveway full of eager prospective homebuyers gathering for an open house. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026 The group set out in the park to investigate chittering sounds that turned out to be a couple of white-breasted nut hatches. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 22 Sep. 2025 Evening had fallen, and bats chittered in the sky outside. Pete McKenzie, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025 In early 2020, Daniel Bachman stood at the edge of a creek in Falmouth, Virginia, recording the sounds of the insects chittering and buzzing around him. Brendan Fitzgerald, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Dec. 2024 Where birds and frogs and rodents once chirped and croaked and chittered, the forest is silent, save for the sounds of passing cars. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 June 2024 Much of the internet chittering around TTPD has been over which songs are about Healy vs. which are about Taylor Swift’s other recent ex, Joe Alwyn. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024 Squirrels chittered at us loudly from the windblown trees. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chitter
chirp
Verb
  • I'mPhaedra Trethan, using this handy guide to identify the birds chirping in my yard each morning.
    Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 7 May 2026
  • And the birds are chirping their hearts out.
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Chitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chitter. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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