flurry

1 of 2

noun

flur·​ry ˈflər-ē 

ˈflə-rē

plural flurries

1

a

: a gust of wind

b

: a brief light snowfall

2

a

: a brief period of commotion or excitement

b

: a sudden occurrence of many things at once : barrage sense 2

a flurry of insults

3

: a brief advance or decline in prices : a short-lived outburst of trading activity

flurry

2 of 2

verb

flurried; flurrying

transitive verb

: to cause to become agitated and confused

intransitive verb

: to move in an agitated or confused manner

Synonyms

Noun

• burst
• flare
• flare-up
• flash
• flicker
• flutter
• outbreak
• outburst
• spurt

Verb

• agitate
• ail
• alarm
• alarum
• bother
• concern
• derail
• discomfort
• discompose
• dismay
• disquiet
• distemper
• distract
• distress
• disturb
• exercise
• frazzle
• freak (out)
• fuss
• hagride
• perturb
• undo
• unhinge
• unsettle
• upset
• weird out
• worry

Examples of flurry in a Sentence

Noun

We had a few flurries yesterday.

a flurry of activity on the floor of the stock market as soon as the news spread

Verb

flurried by visions of falls and broken bones, the parents wouldn't even allow the child to ride a bike

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Investors are also expecting a flurry of economic data this week. —Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025

Most solar cycles have two peaks, so astronomers expect a flurry of sunspots in the sun's northern hemisphere. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2025

Verb

Models walked 6,500 feet above sea level as fresh snow flurried at the Moncler Grenoble fashion show. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025

Banks’ flurry not only flipped a 33-31 deficit into a 35-33 lead but got the crowd roaring and illustrated how valuable Banks can be on the defensive end. —Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably from flurr to throw scatteringly

First Known Use

Noun

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1749, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for flurry

• blurry
• burry
• currie
• furry
• hurry
• murry
• scurry
• slurry
• worry

Kids Definition

flurry

1 of 2 noun

flur·​ry ˈflər-ē 

ˈflə-rē

plural flurries

1

a

: a gust of wind

b

: a brief light snowfall

2

: a sudden commotion

a flurry of publicity

3

: a brief outburst of activity

a flurry of trading in the stock exchange

flurry

2 of 2 verb

flurried; flurrying

: to become or cause to become agitated and confused