pit-a-pats

present tense third-person singular of pit-a-pat
as in throbs
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner her heart pit-a-patted with surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pit-a-pats
Verb
  • My boredom typically spurs feelings of frustration, guilt, shame—and long nutritionless spells of goggling, slack-jawed, at celebrity news on my phone while the world throbs around me.
    Daniel Smith, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Pain that is not a word throbs in his shoulders, awakens him each morning.
    Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • England or Ghana are the likeliest candidates unless group mate Panama, who’s already eliminated, beats England on Saturday — in which case rip up your predictions and embrace the chaos.
    AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 27 June 2026
  • On the verify level, one action beats everything else combined.
    Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • Each second, the light pulses a few hundred billion times through a fiberglass straw the width of a human hair.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 June 2026
  • While the complications of the relationship between Merril and Raquel are not always terribly clear in the script, both Marquis and Adame find strong chemistry as the story pulses forward.
    David John Chávez, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Nevertheless, Bonnie’s doting parents hope that Lilypad will help Bonnie make friends, oblivious to how the gizmo — and soon, their daughter — vibrates with anxiety.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • The household hums with collective energy and vibrates with handiwork, intention, love.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 12 June 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Pit-a-pats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pit-a-pats. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.

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