fluttered; fluttering; flutters
1
: to flap the wings rapidly
butterflies fluttering among the flowers
2
a
: to move with quick wavering or flapping motions
a sail fluttering in the wind
b
: to vibrate in irregular spasms
his heart fluttered
3
: to move about or behave in an agitated aimless manner
She nervously fluttered around the office.
: to cause to flutter
The bird was fluttering its wings.
1
: an act of fluttering
2
3
a
: a distortion in reproduced sound similar to but of a higher pitch than wow
b
: fluctuation in the brightness of a television image
4
: an unwanted oscillation (as of an aileron or a bridge) set up by natural forces
5
chiefly British
: a small speculative venture or gamble
Synonyms
Examples of flutter in a Sentence
Verb
The bird was fluttering its wings.
The bird's wings were fluttering.
We watched the butterflies fluttering in the garden.
Leaves fluttered to the ground.
The breeze made the curtains flutter.
The breeze fluttered the curtains.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
She nervously fluttered around the office.
Noun
With a flutter of wings, the birds settled into the nest.
The flutter of the flame cast shadows on the ceiling.
He was in a flutter until he found his keys.
The news of her resignation caused quite a flutter.
have a flutter on a horse in the second race
Recent Examples on the Web
Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
My heart was fluttering strongly on and off for about four hours.
—Scott Kramer, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Sean Neumann, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024
Certain heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter, can lead to an enlarged heart.89
In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s upper chambers beat rapidly and irregularly.
—Anisha Shah, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flutter 
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show current usage.
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Verb
The screen will typically flutter once or twice while processing the color.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
My heart was fluttering strongly on and off for about four hours.
—Scott Kramer, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh briefly left Sunday afternoon’s game against the Denver Broncos because of a flare up with atrial flutter, a type of heart arrhythmia that makes the heart beat irregularly fast.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024
Certain heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter, can lead to an enlarged heart.89
In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s upper chambers beat rapidly and irregularly.
—Anisha Shah, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flutter
Dictionary Entries Near flutter
Cite this Entry
“Flutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flutter. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flutter
1 of 2 verb
flut·ter
ˈflət-ər 
1
: to move or cause the wings to move rapidly without flying or in short flights
butterflies flutter
2
: to move with quick wavering or flapping motions
flags fluttered in the breeze
3
: to move about or behave in an excited aimless manner
flutter
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of fluttering
2
3
: an unsteadiness of pitch in reproduced sound
Medical Definition
flutter
noun
flut·ter
ˈflət-ər
: an abnormal rapid spasmodic and usually rhythmic motion or contraction of a body part
diaphragmatic flutter
affected with ventricular flutter
flutter
intransitive verb
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