pit-a-patting

verb

present participle of pit-a-pat
as in throbbing
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-patting
  1. throbbing
  2. beating
  3. vibrating
  4. pulsing
Verb
  • No sweating, throbbing headache and skin that’s hot, red and dry are signs of heatstroke.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Workers are paying for it as the people in charge mostly ignore our throbbing national headache.
    — Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 July 2026
Definition of throbbing
Verb
  • As the graphic below shows, Fernandez-Pardo is comfortable running in-behind down the channels and sending in crosses, as well as beating his defender and cutting balls back for team-mates.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Dell Technologies — Shares of the computer maker jumped almost 9% after beating expectations on both lines.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • Following detection, the NCSU patch – about the size of a business card – alerts its wearer simply by vibrating against the skin.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The words in this and other magazines looked like vibrating ants.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of vibrating
Verb
  • And in doing so, everything gradually registers — the cadence of campus life, the pride pulsing through students and alumni, the weight of the institution’s history.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Just pulsing in their Petri dishes, contemplating moral relativity or migraines.
    — Meghana Keshavan, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of pulsing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pit-a-patted
pit-a-patting
pit bull
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Cite this Entry

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

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