patter
/ˈpæt.ɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A soft repeated sound, as of rain falling, or feet walking on a hard surface.
noun
Glib and rapid speech, such as from an auctioneer, a stage magician, a sports commentator, or a salesperson with a slick style of selling.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To speak glibly and rapidly, as does an auctioneer or a sports commentator.
Example Sentences
- "I could hear the patter of mice running about in the dark."
- "The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed."
- "The bullets pattered into the log-cabin walls."
- "The stealing shower […] 'Tis scarce to patter heard."
- "1819 (published in 1835) Joseph Rodman Drake, The Culprit Fay Patter the water about the boat."
- "sales patter"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpæt.ɚ/
- British English: /ˈpæt.ə/