as in throbbing
to expand and contract in a rhythmic manner
his heart pitter-pattered with excitement as he waited for the right moment to propose
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitter-pattering
Verb
-
The light bled red at Sixty-Seventh and Pacific, music throbbing through the speakers as Olivia Borsutzki relaxed her foot from the brake.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026 -
And yet, as dynasties could emerge across a number of divisions in boys hockey this postseason, none should diminish what will be yet another heart-throbbing three weeks.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After beating Atlanta last Friday without Jaylen Brown and Charlotte on Sunday without Brown and Derrick White, Boston flopped in a rematch with the Hawks, losing 112-102 without a crew of contributors headlined by a resting Jayson Tatum.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Lawson’s Blue Devils relished their March Madness at the downtown arena on Friday night, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the corner by Ashlon Jackson to stun storied LSU in a Sweet 16 contest.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Think of an elastic band vibrating inside each particle.—
Zachary Slepian,
The Conversation,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Noise colors can be high-pitched (rapidly vibrating) sounds, low-pitched (slowly vibrating) sounds, or a combination.—
Laura Kiniry,
Popular Science,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Can that pulsing stream of water damage teeth or enamel?—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
1 Apr. 2026
-
All through this book, what’s pulsing is your love of this thing.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Pitter-pattering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitter-pattering. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
