flitter

1
[ flit-er ]
See synonyms for flitter on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with or without object)
  1. to flutter.

Origin of flitter

1
First recorded in 1535–45; flit + -er6

Other definitions for flitter (2 of 4)

flitter2
[ flit-er ]

noun
  1. a person or thing that flits.

Origin of flitter

2
First recorded in 1535–45; flit + -er1

Other definitions for flitter (3 of 4)

flitter3
[ flit-er ]

noun
  1. fine metallic fragments, especially as used for ornamentation.

Origin of flitter

3
First recorded in 1840–50; from German; literally, “tinsel, spangle”

Other definitions for flitter (4 of 4)

flitter4
[ flit-er ]

nounChiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.
  1. a fritter or pancake.

Origin of flitter

4
Apparently by dissimilation from fritter2

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flitter in a sentence

  • Presently, as the scissors flittered in and out of the leaves, she, began talking to herself.

  • The bat flittered, with a leathern rustle, invisible, between their very faces.

    The Fifth Queen Crowned | Ford Madox Ford
  • A bat that had been drawn in by the light flittered invisibly near them.

    The Fifth Queen Crowned | Ford Madox Ford
  • Nothing moved on the cliffs, except some small birds which flittered homelessly among the black and twisted burnt gorse.

    A Poor Man's House | Stephen Sydney Reynolds
  • The merest shadow of astonishment flittered across Miss Kresney's face.

British Dictionary definitions for flitter

flitter

/ (ˈflɪtə) /


verb
  1. a less common word for flutter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012