fluttered

verb

past tense of flutter
1
as in darted
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements a lonely butterfly fluttering across the lawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flapped
to move or cause to move with a striking motion fluttered my eyelashes as I struck up a conversation with the new guy at work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fluttered All around them, guests smiled and laughed as children screamed with excitement and giggled each time a butterfly fluttered close. — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 Young people fluttered about, wearing custom white T-shirts emblazoned with the festival’s retro cartoon-style poster art. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 On Thursday morning, fat bees perched on black-and-blue sage flowers, and doves loudly fluttered from fruit tree to fruit tree. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2026 This isn't the first time a butterfly motif has fluttered, so to speak, into Larsson's glam routine. — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 July 2026 Cassettes fluttered, CDs skipped, and choosing a dozen albums for a trip meant leaving dozens more behind. — New Atlas, 23 June 2026 Cars honked their horns and cyclists pulled over to tune in as flags fluttered in the wind, fans clambered to see the screen, and people hugged and shouted. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 17 June 2026 The two were often seen with what appeared to be unwashed, exposed roots that fluttered into beach waves down their backs. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 12 June 2026 The next day, a black flag fluttered by the hospital entrance to mourn those killed. — ABC News, 7 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fluttered
  1. darted
  2. flapped
  3. flitted
  4. danced
  5. flicked
Verb
  • Bijan Robinson took a handoff, darted to the right side and, in a game setting, may have taken a big hit.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Hamilton was on course for a record-extending 105th pole position, and first in a full grand prix since Hungary in 2023, before Norris darted through to take it away.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of darted
Verb
  • Luna then tried to jump over Sandy to get back into the bowl of the nest, but Sandy lost her balance and flapped down to the lower branches.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026
  • On the touchline, MacPhee flapped his arms in frustration.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Definition of flapped
Verb
  • The Spanish, who had at first just flitted along the coast in their galleons, had begun marching inland and overland from Mexico with crosses and soldiers and soldiers’ families.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Another trio flitted about the main kitchen.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
Definition of flitted
Verb
  • In Fire & Blood, this battle is described as the only time during the Dance of Dragons when the dragons truly danced, which means TV audiences should expect some incredible draconic combat.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The New York Mavericks — who Florida topped Saturday night — danced with the Nashville Stampede in the third game of the afternoon.
    — Ava DiCecca, Sun Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of danced
Verb
  • The toads had gone rogue, consuming native frogs, birds, insects, small marsupials, even Ping-Pong balls and cigarette butts flicked toward them at pubs—almost everything except the swarms of sugarcane beetles they had been imported to feed on.
    — Kimon de Greef, Longreads, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Timo Baumgartl chipped a cross to left side, where Tomas Totland flicked a header back to Ostrak for a bending shot from the corner of the penalty area that ricocheted off the back post to open the scoring.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of flicked

Browse Nearby Words

flutter
fluttered
fluttering
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fluttered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fluttered. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on fluttered

Nglish: Translation of fluttered for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of salvo

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

'Gaslighting,' 'Woke,' 'Democracy,' and Other Top Lookups
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All