as in throbbed
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-pattered
Verb
-
Her hand and arm cramped, her shoulder ached, and her knee throbbed, all while the rain soaked through their clothes.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026 -
The upper blocks throbbed and pulsed a deep blue, reflecting the pond’s windblown currents.—
Jack Korngold,
Rolling Stone,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The third ended with the Hornets’ Coby White beating the buzzer for an 89-83 Charlotte lead entering the fourth.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Xander Bogaerts had three hits and three RBIs, and Mason Miller pitched a perfect ninth inning for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Seattle Mariners 4-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win and ninth in 10 games.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Multi-wave pulsed electromagnetic fields will also, well, pulse through the chamber and into my body during the 25-minute session.—
David Oliver,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Day-old sandwich bread pulsed into breadcrumbs serves both as a binder and crunchy topping.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The envelope all but vibrated in her hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The roar of the crowds gathered at the base of the 101-story building still echoed in his ears, and the thrill of scaling its ten abstract metal dragons vibrated through his body.—
Outside,
Outside,
23 Feb. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Pitter-pattered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitter-pattered. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
