1. Move in light, quick, repeated beats or irregular waves.
2. A small rush of nervousness or excitement.
3. A small bet, often made casually.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- curtains flutter
- wings flutter
On the page
The curtains fluttered beside the open window.
Word forms
- Base
- flutter
- Past tense
- fluttered
- Past participle
- fluttered
- Present participle
- fluttering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- flutter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are fluttering
- Present perfect
- have/has fluttered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been fluttering
- Past
- fluttered
- Past continuous
- was/were fluttering
- Past perfect
- had fluttered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been fluttering
- Future
- will flutter
- Future continuous
- will be fluttering
- Future perfect
- will have fluttered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been fluttering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: flutter; flutters; fluttered; fluttered; fluttering. Noun singular flutter; plural flutters.. Noun singular flutter; plural flutters. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: flutters.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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