flutter 1 of 2

flutter

2 of 2

verb

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
Noun
In it, Mario snoozes against a tree as a butterfly flutters by his head. Randall Colburn, EW.com, 14 Sep. 2025 This one has a V-neckline, a ruched waist, and three-quarter sleeves with flutter cuffs. Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
The fastest way to a stressful hosting experience is by micro-managing and trying to do everything yourself, from setting out food and drink to cleaning up to fluttering around to ensure nothing is going wrong. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2025 There were discussions about the addition of false eyelashes, according to the film’s visual effects makeup artist and creature designer, Mike Hill, but the consensus was that Elordi’s own were long and fluttering enough. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flutter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flutter
Noun
  • The Orionid meteor shower peak begins tonight, welcoming a spectacular natural light show that could see a flurry of shooting stars spawned by Halley's Comet brighten the dark, moonless sky.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Panahi, who has been imprisoned in Iran several times, is Stateside for the first time in two decades for the opening, doing a flurry of Q&As.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • To prove their point, the researchers analyzed 46 years’ worth of venture-capital startup investments, among other data points.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The venture, created in partnership with production companies KawanKawan Media and DW, revives the spirit of La Factory – a filmmaker incubator that ran at Directors’ Fortnight beginning in 2013.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Sunlight flitted over the Pacific Ocean and into our bedroom.
    Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The spaces are smaller, with lower benches, and the older players, flitting between dressing rooms for U14s and U12s, have had to take their belongings home each day rather than leave them in lockers due to the carousel of teams moving in and out.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the canonical metaphorical example, a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and the cascading sequence of atmospheric perturbations leads to a tornado in Texas.
    Dan Garisto, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Moments later, the monarch began to flap its wings and crawl onto Bendicksen’s hand.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The former Bronco is having a career year with the Cowboys, with two games above 115 rushing yards, and had a 66-yard burst against the Jets.
    Jeff Howe, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The archival material is organized and annotated by Chaplin biographer David Robinson and editor Cecilia Cenciarelli, who have done essential work here detailing Chaplin’s biggest final burst of creativity.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Players can, subject to some prohibitions, gamble on sports other than the NFL.
    Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Taking these steps would let Gen Z — and every generation to follow — see the frozen aisle not as a gamble, but as a reliable lifeline in lean times and times of plenty.
    Darin Detwiler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Grass moths that darted sideways through the air.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Leavitt took the snap and darted right, headed for the first-down marker on the sideline.
    Doug Haller, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The red light begins to flicker and dance.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Southern live oaks draped in Spanish moss that tower and twist over city squares, Neoclassical Antebellum architecture, gas lamps that flicker over uneven cobblestone paths, and a humid subtropical climate that hangs heavy in the air.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flutter. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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