fluttering

Definition of flutteringnext
present participle of flutter

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 fluttering For Arbaeen, the lights inside the shrine and the flags fluttering from its golden dome are switched to red – the color of vengeance. Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026 Some people feel a racing heartbeat or fluttering in their chest. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026 The postgame image of Brees holding his then-1-year-old first child, Baylen, as both grasped at fluttering confetti, is iconic in New Orleans. ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering between tropical plants inside the Powell Gardens Conservatory, Heidi Boehm watched as visitors stopped, looked upward and waited for one to land nearby. Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 The sky was alive with millions of fluttering shapes, congregating into clouds at random, occasionally turning into ribbons that wound through the trees. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026 Both are excellent as women emerging from a pupa of damage and tentatively fluttering their wings. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2026 But Curls Ultra aren’t solely interested in resurrecting the mysticism of the past or indulging in the parties of the present, the occasional fluttering flute solo or boisterous sax line notwithstanding. Reed Jackson, SPIN, 26 June 2026 Red, black and gold flags are flying from car bonnets and fluttering on balconies, especially on matchdays. Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluttering
Verb
  • Esparza plays the unhinged tyrant with a quickness, his bright eyes darting and weaving with each newfangled notion.
    Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The Barcelona forward is a different option to Solanke with his ability in tight spaces and desire to stretch the defensive line with darting runs in-behind.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • The cast are clustered around a table of props and despite her disappointment at the lack of hag wigs, Dale Dickey is flapping a fishing net like a seafaring matador.
    Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Despite Sarah’s flapping her cardigan in the air like a hungover color-guard girl at a homecoming parade, the hapless Irish naval men sent to save her remained beyond the bobbing waves.
    Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Upon further review of the camera footage, Sam Gough, a park supervisor for the Incline Village General Improvement District, said the light appeared to be just a bug flitting across the lens.
    Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • An airy, not-too-sweet vanilla like Taunt is the perfect encapsulation of a Gemini who’s always flitting from one topic of interest to the next.
    Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • Temwa Chawinga, who plays for the Kansas City Current in the NWSL, logged her fifth goal of the tournament, dancing around falling Algerian goalkeeper Chloe N’Gazi and scoring into the open net in first-half stoppage time.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Totality also brought glimpses of pinkish-red prominences—fountains of plasma arcing above the sun’s surface, dancing at the moon’s edge.
    Claire Cameron & Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Within a few minutes, Hutchinson has his mobile out, happily flicking through the screensavers.
    Paul Taylor, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • His violent men — Scott’s sinister dad and Melton’s sad one — light cigarettes by flicking matches on their ears and teeth.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fluttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluttering. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on fluttering

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!