flutter

Universal Words 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) He felt his stomach flutter (= he felt nervous) when they called his name. 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.] ~ (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. * to be in a flutter / to be all of a flutter 4 [C] a very fast, unsteady HEARTBEAT: Her heart gave a flutter when she saw him. 5 [U] (technical) the rapid changing of PITCH or volume of recorded sound