1
as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
a lonely butterfly fluttering across the lawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flapping
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
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Recent Examples of fluttering
Brownell recalls being enchanted by the electric chemistry between Thompson and Ha when shooting the heart-fluttering sequence.
—
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Keep your eyes open for Martial and Mallow scrub-hairstreaks, lyside sulphurs, malachites, and a variety of skippers fluttering among the blooms.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Anaheim took charge with a four-goal second period that featured a franchise-record 27 shots on Chicago's net, capped by Carlsson's 15th goal on a fluttering deflection for a 5-0 lead.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
Change Outdoor Lighting Spiders aren’t attracted to lighting, but they are attracted to the moths, flies, and other insects fluttering around it.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fluttering
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
Keep your eyes open for Martial and Mallow scrub-hairstreaks, lyside sulphurs, malachites, and a variety of skippers fluttering among the blooms.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Anaheim took charge with a four-goal second period that featured a franchise-record 27 shots on Chicago's net, capped by Carlsson's 15th goal on a fluttering deflection for a 5-0 lead.
—CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025
Change Outdoor Lighting Spiders aren’t attracted to lighting, but they are attracted to the moths, flies, and other insects fluttering around it.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fluttering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluttering
Verb
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Chirring insects, cool eels, darting dice snakes in the Volga delta.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
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The footage ends as the officer glances back toward the bench where the suspect was supposed to be handcuffed, before giving chase, with two other officers quickly darting out from behind the reception desk to join her.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The team also discovered that rays using undulatory, wave-like swimming had better ground clearance than those with purely oscillatory, flapping motions.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
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For example, malware could send commands to rapidly open and close circuit breakers, a technique known as flapping.—
Saman Zonouz,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Here’s what to do to get rid of pesky moths flitting around indoors.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Men have been doing it for decades, flitting between the low-brow and the high-brow without losing any of their Serious Actor sheen in the process.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Widening his friend circle and going out dancing.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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Hundreds of Senegalese gathered for a public viewing in the area historically called Little Senegal in Harlem, then spilled into the streets waving flags, singing and dancing in an informal parade late into the night.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Alijah Arenas switched between his forehand shot and backhand, flicking the plastic ball over the net to his opponent, former NBA star Brandon Jennings.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
20 Jan. 2026
-
While the horses were flicking sand like fireworks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fluttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluttering. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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