chitter

verb

chit·​ter ˈchi-tər How to pronounce chitter (audio)
chittered; chittering; chitters

Examples of chitter in a Sentence

the chittering birds outside were driving the cat crazy the cell phone chittered in his pocket
Recent Examples on the Web Where birds and frogs and rodents once chirped and croaked and chittered, the forest is silent, save for the sounds of passing cars. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 17 June 2024 Much of the internet chittering around TTPD has been over which songs are about Healy vs. which are about Taylor Swift’s other recent ex, Joe Alwyn. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024 Spooky season has long tapped into humans' deepest fears, and the creepy, crawling, and chittering creatures can make even the strongest of us shudder with disgust, especially in numbers. Sarah Sprague, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Squirrels chittered at us loudly from the windblown trees. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2023 Having punctured the small air cell inside the egg’s membrane with their budding beak, the proto-owlets inflate their lungs and start chittering. Rebecca Giggs, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2023 Last month, a crowd gathered at the range to listen for the song of the Florida grasshopper sparrow—a faint chittering noise that evokes an insect’s buzz, giving the bird its name. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 The cave’s ceiling was thick with them—many thousands, agitated and chittering at the presence of human intruders, shifting position, some dropping free to fly and then settling again. David Quammen, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2012 In season one, the Demogorgon used to punch through walls and tree portals, but now members of the Mind Flayer’s evil army are just chittering and squelching around town. Time, 4 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chitter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chiteren, probably of imitative origin

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chitter was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near chitter

Cite this Entry

“Chitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chitter. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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