/ ˈflʌtə(r); NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
to move lightly and quickly; to make sth move in this way :
[ v ]
Flags fluttered in the breeze.
Her eyelids fluttered but did not open.
[ vn ]
He fluttered his hands around wildly.
She fluttered her eyelashes at him (= tried to attract him in order to persuade him to do sth) .
2.
[ v , vn ] when a bird or an insect flutters its wings, or its wings flutter , the wings move lightly and quickly up and down
3.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] ( of a bird or an insect ) to fly somewhere moving the wings quickly and lightly :
The butterfly fluttered from flower to flower.
4.
[ v ] ( of your heart, etc. ) to beat very quickly and not regularly :
I could feel a fluttering pulse.
( figurative )
The sound of his voice in the hall made her heart flutter.
( figurative )
■ noun
1.
[ C , usually sing. ] a quick, light movement :
the flutter of wings
with a flutter of her long, dark eyelashes
( figurative )
to feel a flutter of panic in your stomach
2.
[ C , usually sing. ] flutter (on sth) ( BrE , informal ) a small bet :
to have a flutter on the horses
3.
[ sing. ] a state of nervous or confused excitement :
Her sudden arrival caused quite a flutter.
4.
[ C ] a very fast heartbeat , caused when sb is nervous or excited :
Her heart gave a flutter when she saw him.
5.
[ U ] ( medical ) a medical condition in which you have a fast, unsteady heartbeat
6.
[ U ] ( technical ) rapid changes in the pitch or volume of recorded sound
—compare wow
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English floterian , flotorian , a frequentative form related to fleet move or pass quickly .