patter1 verbpatter2 noun
patterpat‧ter1 /ˈpætə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive] 
WORD ORIGINpatter1
Origin:
1600-1700 ➔ PAT2VERB TABLE
patter
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | patter |
| he, she, it | patters | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | pattered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have pattered |
| he, she, it | has pattered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had pattered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will patter |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have pattered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am pattering |
| he, she, it | is pattering | |
| you, we, they | are pattering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was pattering |
| you, we, they | were pattering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been pattering |
| he, she, it | has been pattering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been pattering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be pattering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been pattering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- I could hear feet shuffling and pattering about upstairs.
- Raindrops were pattering on the car roof.
- A few raindrops patter on the roof.
- A small fountain pattered gently in the big reception hall.
- And the old fountain, now green with moss and algae, made a sweet, pattering sound.
- He liked rain in September, its calm gray pattering.
- It pattered quietly in the distance, each small wave softly succeeding the next.
- Outside the rain pattered lightly on the window, and in the room there was a great sense of tranquillity.
- There was a sound of stir all over the house, pattering of feet in the corridors.
- They could hear the rain pattering in the grass and bouncing off the roof of the jeep.
Longman Language Activatorsounds made by something repeatedly hitting something
the sound produced when something hard keeps hitting another hard surface: · One of the machines started to make a strange knocking sound.· The builders' knocking and hammering made it difficult for me to concentrate on my work.
the sound produced when someone keeps hitting a surface, especially a door or window, with their hand or with a hard object: rap/rapping at/on etc: · A violent rap at the door made me run downstairs.· I was kept awake by the rapping of a branch on my window.
to make a quiet irregular sound, like the sound of rain falling or quick, light steps: patter on/in etc: · Raindrops were pattering on the car roof.patter about/around (=move around with a pattering sound): · I could hear feet shuffling and pattering about upstairs.
if something rattles , it makes a hard, quickly repeated sound, especially because part of it is loose and keeps hitting against something: · There's something rattling inside the washing machine.rattle about/around (=move around with a rattling sound): · Sometimes, the bolts work loose and start rattling around.rattle along/past etc (=move somewhere making a rattling sound): · A battered old Chevrolet rattled past.
to produce a sound by lightly and repeatedly hitting a hard surface: tap on/against: · Is that someone tapping on the door?· It sounded as though something outside was tapping against the window.
WORD SETSablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Anna’s heart went pitter-patter as she opened the letter.
if something, especially water, patters, it makes quiet sounds as it keeps hitting a surface lightly and quicklypatter on Anna’s heart went pitter-patter as she opened the letter. (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound)· Rain pattered on the roof.
rain pattering on the window panespatter1 verbpatter2 noun
patterpatter2 noun WORD ORIGINpatter2
Origin:
1,3 1800-1900 ➔ PATTER12 1700-1800 paternoster name of a Christian prayer (9-21 centuries)EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a salesman's patter
- My thoughts wandered as the tour guide began his patter.
- the patter of mice in the attic
- As I hurried I heard the scrabbling patter of the wolves closing in.
- Dennis was knocking the stuff back like lager, not even bothering with his usual patter.
- It was drizzling very lightly, and I could hear the tiny patter of small raindrops.
- Paula Curry was good at hiding discomfort behind easy patter, but the strain was starting to tell.
- The tour guide begins his patter on Forty-sixth.
- While you are doing this trick it's a good idea to invent a little patter.
WORD SETS
ablaze, adjectiveacoustic, adjectiveacoustics, nounaglow, adjectivebaa, verbbabble, verbbabble, nounbabel, nounbaby talk, nounbackfire, verbbackground, nounbang, nounbang, verbbang, interjectionbark, verbbark, nounbattle cry, nounbay, verbbeat, verbbeat, nounbellow, verbbellow, nounblare, verbblast, nounbleat, verbbleep, nounbleep, verbblip, nounbong, nounboom, nounboom, verbbowwow, interjectionbrassy, adjectivebray, verbbrazen, adjectivebreathy, adjectivebubble, verbbump, nounchatter, verbchatter, nounclink, verbclink, nouncrack, verbcrack, nouncrackle, verbcrackling, nouncrash, verbcrash, nouncreak, verbcreaky, adjectivecroak, verbcroak, nouncrow, nouncrow, verbcrunch, nouncrunch, verbding-dong, noundiscord, noundiscordant, adjectivedrone, verbdrone, noundrown, verbdrum, verbdrumbeat, noundrumming, noundull, adjectiveecho, verbecho, nounfizz, verbflat, adjectivefootfall, nounfootstep, nounfusillade, noungrinding, adjectivegroan, verbgroan, noungrunt, verbgrunt, nounguffaw, verbgunshot, nounguttural, adjectivehigh, adjectivehigh, adverbhiss, verbindistinct, adjectiveirregular, adjectivelow, verbmarbled, adjectivematching, adjectivemellow, adjectivemelodic, adjectivemelodious, adjectivemetallic, adjectivemoan, verbmoan, nounmodulate, verbmonotone, nounmoo, verbmurmur, verbmurmur, nounmusical, adjectivemusically, adverbmute, verbnasal, adjectivenoise, nounoink, interjectionoof, interjectionpatter, verbpatter, nounpeal, nounpeal, verbpenetrating, adjectivepercussion, nounpsychedelic, adjectivepulse, nounputter, verbquack, verbquack, nounquaver, nounracket, nounrasp, verbrasp, nounraspberry, nounrat-a-tat, nounrattle, nounraucous, adjectivereedy, adjectivereport, nounresonance, nounresonant, adjectiveresonate, verbresonator, nounresound, verbresounding, adjectivereverberate, verbreverberation, nounrich, adjectivering, nounring, verbringing, adjectiveripple, verbripple, nounroar, nounroaring, adjectiveroll, verbrough, adjectiverustle, verbrustle, nounscratch, verbscratch, nounscream, verbscream, nounscrunch, verbsmoky, adjectivesnarl, verbsoft, adjectivesoft-spoken, adjectivesonorous, adjectivesotto voce, adverbsplosh, verbsweet, adjectiveswoosh, verbtick-tock, nountinny, adjectivetonal, adjectivevivid, adjectivevowel, nounwail, verbweak, adjectivewhack, nounwham, interjectionwhine, verbwhinny, verbwhirr, verbwhistle, verbwhistle, nounyelp, nounyowl, verbzoom, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY the pitter-patter of raindrops It’s difficult to look at the cars without getting the sales patter.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Anna’s heart went pitter-patter as she opened the letter.
the pitter-patter of raindrops It’s difficult to look at the cars without getting the sales patter. Anna’s heart went pitter-patter as she opened the letter. (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound)· Rain pattered on the roof.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1[singular] the sound made by something as it keeps hitting a surface lightly and quicklypatter of- Are we going to hear the patter of tiny feet?
the patter of footsteps the pitter-patter of raindrops2[singular, uncountable] fast, continuous, and usually amusing talk, used by someone telling jokes or trying to sell something: It’s difficult to look at the cars without getting the sales patter.3the patter of tiny feet used humorously to mean that someone is going to have a baby: Are we going to hear the patter of tiny feet?