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
  • Astaire is the world's foremost exponent of that particular variety of heart throb!
    — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Her voice, usually an attention-demanding force, is detached from the throbbing production.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of throb
Verb
  • This was the teams’ first meeting at T-Mobile Arena since Arizona beat UCLA in the 2023 Pac-12 tournament final for the second year in a row.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • With quarterback Baker Mayfield going 0 for 3 passing, Tampa Bay beat the Atlanta Falcons, 16-0, producing one of the NFL’s strangest box scores in decades — and winning a game in a manner that had essentially disappeared from modern football.
    — Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of beat
Verb
  • The environment will be represented by a red pulsing jewel icon and initially will only include TV shows (not movies).
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
  • And the choreography by La La Land’s Mandy Moore (no, not her) keeps bodies flowing through space like pulsing blood.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Oct. 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 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quondam

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All