flutter
UK /ˈflʌtə/ · US /ˈflʌtɚ/ verb, noun
Forms flutters fluttering fluttered
- verb (intransitive) To flap or wave quickly but irregularly. “flags fluttering in the wind”
- verb (intransitive) Of a winged animal: to flap the wings without flying; to fly with a light flapping of the wings.
- verb (intransitive, aerodynamics) To undergo divergent oscillations (potentially to the point of causing structural failure) due to a positive feedback loop between elastic deformation and aerodynamic forces.
- verb (transitive) To cause something to flap. “A bird flutters its wings.”
- verb (transitive) To drive into disorder; to throw into confusion.
- verb (intransitive) To be in a state of agitation or uncertainty.
- verb (intransitive, obsolete) To be frivolous.
- verb (espionage, slang) To subject to a lie detector test.
- noun The act of fluttering, or multiple acts thereof; the back-and-forth motion of fluttering; a state of fluttering. “The eagle soared across the horizon with just a few slow flutters of its wings. The flutter of insects and bats is more rapid. Some birds also use non-flight flutters as communication and in thermoregulation.”
- noun (by extension) The collective flutter of many similar objects. “leaf flutter; feather flutter”
- noun (by extension) A flapping, crackling or rustling sound, as from a fluttering motion or any comparable sound; any series of quick repetitive sounds. “I eventually found the source of the flutter, which came from clothes on a clothesline swaying with the wind.”
- noun (figurative) A sound that spreads in the manner of a wave or ripple. “A flutter of gasps spread over the crowd.”
- noun The rapid up-and-down movement of the eyelids, and consequently eyelashes, often seen as intentionally flirtatious or alluring and often attributed to the eyes or eyebrows. “He couldn't help but feel more attracted to her with each flutter of her eyes/lashes/eyelids.”
- noun The movement a hand fan with a back-and-forth action using flicks of the wrist, so as to produce a graceful wave-like effect. “The flutter of the geisha's fan was elegant.”
- noun (swimming) The leg motion of various strokes in swimming, especially the flutter kick. “The flutter of your legs will propel you through the water, when you execute a proper flutter kick.”
- noun The motion or state of falling while fluttering or falling as to produce fluttering. “Winged helicopter seeds fall with rapid flutters to the ground.”
Synonyms
flap fluttering bat batting kick flicker tremulous iris iridodonesis fuss flutter in the dovecote quiver rumble spasm tremor twinge frisson atrial flutter auricular flutter hiccups singultus waver disturbance disruption commotion hurly burly to-do hoo-ha hoo-hah kerfuffle flapping
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To vibrate or move quickly; as, a bird flutters its wings.
- verb To drive in disorder; to throw into confusion.
- noun The act of fluttering; quick and irregular motion; vibration; as, the flutter of a fan. The chirp and flutter of some single bird Milnes. .
- noun Hurry; tumult; agitation of the mind; confusion; disorder. Pope.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flutter”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details