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pitter-patter

verb

Definition of pitter-patternext
as in to throb
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner his heart pitter-pattered with excitement as he waited for the right moment to propose

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitter-patter
  1. throb
  2. beat
  3. pulse
Verb
  • Her voice, usually an attention-demanding force, is detached from the throbbing production.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Just two days later, Aitia was sitting in class when his newly pierced ear began throbbing with pain.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of throb
Verb
  • It will be closed by leaders who decide that creating new value beats endlessly compressing old value.
    — Sumeet Salwan, Forbes.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Colorado beat Georgia Tech in the season opener, but the Buffaloes didn’t look like a good team to me.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • In September, the company deployed a new 50 MW pulsed-power subsystem, a five-fold increase in power capability built on its MEGA platform.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The title track is dark, pulsing dance pop, indebted, in obvious ways, to the trickle-down influence of Madonna, particularly via Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Dua Lipa.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of pulse
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

pitted
pitter-patter
pitter-pattered
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Cite this Entry

“Pitter-patter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitter-patter. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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