ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Patter

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˈpæt.ə/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Patter is a noun meaning A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface.

Meaning

A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface.

More Meanings

  1. To make irregularly repeated sounds of low-to-moderate magnitude and lower-than-average pitch.
  2. To spatter; to sprinkle.
  3. Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer, a sports commentator, or a salesperson with a slick style of selling.
  4. To speak glibly and rapidly, as does an auctioneer or a sports commentator.
  5. (intransitive, obsolete) To repeat the Lord's Prayer.
  6. (intransitive, obsolete) To pray.
  7. (transitive, obsolete) To repeat hurriedly; to mutter.

Example Sentences

sales patter
The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls.
The stealing shower […] 'Tis scarce to patter heard.
I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark.

Word Forms

Synonyms for patter

Depending on context, synonyms include spatter, sprinkle, spiel, spit, pitter-patter.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include pitter-patter, spatter, sprinkle, spiel, spit, pitter.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.