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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitter-patter
  1. throb
  2. beat
  3. pulse
Verb
  • Workers are paying for it as the people in charge mostly ignore our throbbing national headache.
    — Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 8 July 2026
  • When Marlowe awoke the next morning, her head was still throbbing and Declan's side was empty, the sheets lineless.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026
Definition of throb
Verb
  • Never has a team appeared so beatable while so rarely being beaten.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The Royals beat the Padres 6-1 to win the three-game series outright.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 19 July 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • That’s several large cities’ worth of energy pulsing through a few big warehouses, all dedicated to bots.
    — Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 July 2026
  • Yet the disorienting scale of the image and Ludwig Göransson’s pulsing, ethereal score yield an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.
    — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pitter-patter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitter-patter. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All