fluttering
present participle offlutter
flutter
verb
uk/ˈflʌt.ər/us/ˈflʌt̬.ɚ/flutterverb(MOVE)
[IorT]
to make aseriesofquickdelicatemovementsup and down or fromsidetoside, or tocausesomething to do this:
Brightlycolouredflagswere fluttering in thebreeze.
Leaves fluttereddownonto thepath.
Butterflies flutteredaboutin thesunshine.
Awhitebirdpoisedon awireand fluttereditswings.
Shaking, swinging and vibrating
- brandish
- flap
- flourish
- fluffsomethingup
- jitter
- joggle
- pulse
- shakiness
- shimmy
- stir
- stirsomethingup
- sway
- sweep
- teeter
- thrashing
- wag
- wobble
- wobbler
- wobbly
- worry atsomething
flutterverb(HEART/STOMACH)
[I]
Ifyourheartorstomachflutters, youfeelslightlyuncomfortablebecause you areexcitedornervous:
EverytimeIthinkabout myexamsmystomachflutters!
Shaking, swinging and vibrating
- brandish
- flap
- flourish
- fluffsomethingup
- jitter
- joggle
- pulse
- shakiness
- shimmy
- stir
- stirsomethingup
- sway
- sweep
- teeter
- thrashing
- wag
- wobble
- wobbler
- wobbly
- worry atsomething
Idioms
flutteryoureyelashes
makesomeone'sheart flutter
Examplesoffluttering
fluttering
In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.
Superimposed in three tracks or layers, the continuing pitches create a world of rich, vibrating,flutteringsounds.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Around this ground element, one hears percussive gestures, staccato sounds, patterns of repeated sounds, high vibratos orflutteringsounds, glottal stops and multiphonics.
From theCambridge English Corpus
It begins with alternating strands of quiet contemplative and lively dance-like music and then, after aflutteringsettling section, closes with serene slow music.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The configurations of the gridflutteringin the wind propose a fluid alternative to the picture plane.
From theCambridge English Corpus
He would freewheel about the stage, waving his hands andflutteringhis fingers.
From theCambridge English Corpus
The latter are completely cut loose from a techno foundation, following instead theflutteringrhythms of seemingly randomised bursts of static interlaced with staccato sine tones.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I admit that our approach in clause 6 is rather novel and will, no doubt, cause a fair amount offlutteringin the legal dovecotes.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
I understand that this proposal has caused some flutterings in certain quarters, but we have been through this sort of thing before.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
There was a littleflutteringin the dovecotes and some rearrangements of business, because executive sessions were to remain secret.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
They are opportunists,flutteringfrom issue to issue and alighting like flies on garbage heaps.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
But are we to ignore altogether these few faintflutteringgestures towards a greater liberalism?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
How melancholy it is to see in the autumn these formsflutteringover an admission tutor's desk.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
A very excited old lady went to the manager's office, and said she was certain that the ducks were doped because they were notflutteringabout in the water.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
That may cause someflutteringin the dovecotes, but industry will increasingly find it convenient to deal with its counterparts if it operates a single currency.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
From the start, engineers noticed that the wings were not strong enough to carry the outboard engines at cruising speed without warping andfluttering.
From
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
- not be just a pretty face
- not-be-just-a-pretty-face
- not believe a word of it
- not-believe-a-word-of-it
- not-believe-eyes
- not-believe-eyes-ears
- not-believe-luck
- not believe your eyes
- not believe your eyes/ears
- not-believe-your-eyes-ears
- not believe your luck
- not-believe-your-luck
- not be on speaking terms
- not-be-on-speaking-terms
- not be sb's cup of tea
- not-be-sb-s-cup-of-tea
- not be sb's day
- not-be-sb-s-day
- not be/seem himself
- not-be-seem-himself
- not be set/carved in stone
- not-be-set-carved-in-stone
- not be short of a bob or two
- not-be-short-of-a-bob-or-two
- not be someone's cup of tea