pitter-pattering

verb

present participle of pitter-patter
as in throbbing
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-pattering
  1. throbbing
  2. beating
  3. vibrating
  4. pulsing
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 throbbing
Verb
  • Mizzou fans fumed about beating KU but playing in the lesser bowl.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Clark won a solid 56% of the vote in the Democratic primary, beating Blair and others, and Chavez ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Aug. 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

pitter-pattered
pitter-pattering
pitter-patters
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Cite this Entry

“Pitter-pattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitter-pattering. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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