FLUTTER

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does flutter mean? 

• FLUTTER (noun)
  The noun FLUTTER has 4 senses:

1. the act of moving back and forth

2. abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (especially in a regular rhythm); can result in heart block

3. a disorderly outburst or tumult

4. the motion made by flapping up and down

  Familiarity information: FLUTTER used as a noun is uncommon.

• FLUTTER (verb)
  The verb FLUTTER has 5 senses:

1. move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

2. move back and forth very rapidly

3. flap the wings rapidly or fly with flapping movements

4. beat rapidly

5. wink briefly

  Familiarity information: FLUTTER used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLUTTER (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of moving back and forth

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

flicker; flutter; waver

Hypernyms ("flutter" is a kind of...):

motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)

Derivation:

flutter (move back and forth very rapidly)

flutter (move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (especially in a regular rhythm); can result in heart block

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("flutter" is a kind of...):

arrhythmia; cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormal rate of muscle contractions in the heart)

Derivation:

flutter (beat rapidly)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A disorderly outburst or tumult

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

commotion; disruption; disturbance; flutter; hoo-ha; hoo-hah; hurly burly; kerfuffle; to-do

Context example:

they were amazed by the furious disturbance they had caused

Hypernyms ("flutter" is a kind of...):

disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flutter"):

convulsion; turmoil; upheaval (a violent disturbance)

earthquake (a disturbance that is extremely disruptive)

incident (a public disturbance)

splash; stir (a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event)

storm; tempest (a violent commotion or disturbance)

storm center; storm centre (a center of trouble or disturbance)

garboil; tumult; tumultuousness; uproar (a state of commotion and noise and confusion)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The motion made by flapping up and down

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

flap; flapping; flutter; fluttering

Hypernyms ("flutter" is a kind of...):

undulation; wave ((physics) a movement up and down or back and forth)

• FLUTTER (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they flutter    ... he / she / it flutters   
Past simple: fluttered   
Past participle: fluttered   
-ing form: fluttering   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

dart; fleet; flit; flutter

Context example:

The hummingbird flitted among the branches

Hypernyms (to "flutter" is one way to...):

hurry; speed; travel rapidly; zip (move very fast)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flutter"):

butterfly (flutter like a butterfly)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

The crowds flutter in the streets
The streets flutter with crowds

Derivation:

flutter (the act of moving back and forth)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move back and forth very rapidly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flicker; flitter; flutter; quiver; waver

Context example:

the candle flickered

Hypernyms (to "flutter" is one way to...):

move back and forth (move in one direction and then into the opposite direction)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

flutter (the act of moving back and forth)

fluttering (the motion made by flapping up and down)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Flap the wings rapidly or fly with flapping movements

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The seagulls fluttered overhead

Hypernyms (to "flutter" is one way to...):

beat; flap (move with a thrashing motion)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 4

Meaning:

Beat rapidly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flutter; palpitate

Context example:

His heart palpitated

Hypernyms (to "flutter" is one way to...):

beat; pound; thump (move rhythmically)

Verb group:

palpitate (cause to throb or beat rapidly)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

flutter (abnormally rapid beating of the auricles of the heart (especially in a regular rhythm); can result in heart block)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Wink briefly

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

bat; flutter

Context example:

bat one's eyelids

Hypernyms (to "flutter" is one way to...):

blink; nictate; nictitate; wink (briefly shut the eyes)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Once, when the instinct of preservation fluttered, he went to a doctor and underwent a searching physical examination.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Mr. Chillip was fluttered again, by the extreme severity of my aunt's manner; so he made her a little bow and gave her a little smile, to mollify her.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The valve "flutters" to open in one direction only.

(Chest Tube Flutter Valve, NCI Thesaurus)

Another pause, and then, not a quarter of a mile in front of me, I beheld the Union Jack flutter in the air above a wood.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Out in the back-pasture, a quail could flutter up under his nose unharmed.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

"I'm too young," faltered Meg, wondering why she was so fluttered, yet rather enjoying it.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

He waited in vain for some backward glance or sign of relenting, but she walked on with a rigid neck until her dress was only a white flutter among the leaves.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The sail flapped and fluttered, and the boat paid off.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

First came a fluttering of the eyeballs, so that she was compelled to close her eyes for relief.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

As I took it up a small square of paper upon which it had lain fluttered down on to the ground.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)