pitter-patter
/ˈpɪtəpatə
/noun
A sound like that of quick light steps or taps: the soft pitter-patter of the rain on the leaves...
- The only sound I can hear is the soft pitter-patter of the rain against my window.
- Beauty is a cold, cloudy day, where all you hear is the soft pitter-patter of the falling rain.
- The air was full of pen scratches, clashes of minds, books being taken off and placed back onto shelves, and of the pitter-patter of soft footfalls.
Synonyms
patter, tapping, pattering, drumming, drumbeat, clatter, beat, beating, tattoo, pounding, throb, pulsation, rat-a-tat, pit-a-pat, clack, click-clack, clacketing, thrum, thrumming
adverb
With a sound like that of quick light steps or taps: footsteps that go pitter-patter...
- I think of you and my heart goes pitter-patter across the floor.
verb [no object]
Move with or make a pitter-patter sound: the rain pitter-pattered on my windows
Origin
Late Middle English: reduplication (expressing rhythmic repetition) of the verb patter1.