as in throbbing
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
her heart pit-a-patted with surprise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pit-a-patting
Verb
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With osteomalacia and rickets, a person may experience throbbing bone discomfort and muscle weakness and pain.—
Mark Stibich,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026 -
That’s why my leg is throbbing.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Seahawks used a first-round bye to rest, heal and prepare, and then routed the 49ers in a divisional-round game before beating the Rams, 31-27, to advance to the Super Bowl.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The Patriots finished 14-3 but defeated only one team with a winning record in the regular season, beating up on the likes of the Jets (twice), Giants, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals en route to an AFC East title.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The island's stunning Blue Lagoon starkly contrasts tropical shores vibrating with life during the rainier months.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Jan. 2026
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Someone’s phone is always vibrating, a gimmick that often strikes me as contrived in a movie-movie but feels totally normalized in a reality-movie like The Moment.—
Anna Gaca,
Pitchfork,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The area, once home to a vibrant Black community known as Freedman’s Town, is now a mix of residential and commercial high-rise towers, pulsing nightlife and pricey townhomes.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
31 Jan. 2026
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Using this response, Appelbaum defined a sleep-like state in jellyfish as pulsing fewer than 37 times per minute for over three minutes, and eight minutes or more of stillness in sea anemones.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pit-a-patting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pit-a-patting. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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