to flutter
35
3.5
- verb
- /ˈflʌtər/
:
aletear
- She watched the paper airplane flutter gracefully to the ground after being thrown.
- wings flutter
- flags flutter
- butterflies flutter
And if you just let the embers flutter, they'll they'll go out.
- And if you just let the embers flutter, they'll they'll go out.
- Leaves flutter helplessly expose their veined undersides.
- And they just kind of fluttered down and he just sat there like a statue and, and you know, they were dragged out shouting No blood for oil.
- Because of you our soul flutters light like a bird escaped from a fowler's snare.
- And now I'm going to flutter away with these rose blush pink locks.
- He always had the way I used to hear him speak my dad were like he'd, he'd flutter in and out of cleaning windows.
Examples
-
A careful look at the smoke on the left shows lots of papers fluttering in the sunlight.
Academic text (2001) -
When it picks up again, flags flutter, well water rises, and grains are again ground to flour.
Academic text (2004) -
Around the stadium, flags flutter and national songs are played on television.
Academic text (2000) -
Not birds that should be put in a cage... but birds that should be allowed to flutter through the sky which they own.
-
The yellow leaves still fluttered down in the light of the street lamps.
Fiction book (1991) -
Mo is running, breathing hard, his head thrown back, his coat fluttering around him.
Fiction book (1990) -
Her blue gossamer dress and long hair fluttered in the gentle morning breeze.
Fiction book (1991) -
Afterwards, the green bird froze for a moment, then extended its wings, fluttered them violently, and took flight.
Academic text (2007) -
The leaves began to flutter in the gentle breeze, creating a soft rustling sound.
-
As the curtain started to flutter in the wind, it revealed a glimpse of the beautiful garden outside.
Synonyms
91
2.8
To make very small, quick moves back and forth
89
1.0
To move with small, quick movements from side to side or up and down
77
2.4
To move slowly from side to side in a gentle rhythm
75
1.0
To move slightly after being still
60
3.6
Move or shine in quick unsteady ways
54
1.4
To move up and down quickly, like wings or flags
47
4.5
To shake in small, quick movements because of fear, cold, or excitement
18
6.1
To move quickly and lightly from one place to another
12
4.8
To move or shake in a slight, unsteady way
2
6.5
To turn pages quickly or move thin things with a light quick motion
1
6.9
To move quickly and lightly, like a small bird or moth
To move lightly and irregularly through the air like a small insect with bright wings
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
A fast up-and-down kick with straight legs used in freestyle and backstroke
How Fast
Surface Forms
Etymology
Flutter comes from an old word meaning 'to flap' or 'move quickly', probably copying the quick movement of wings. So to flutter something is to make it move lightly and quickly back and forth or up and down, like wings, leaves, or curtains.