Chittering is a rapid, light, and often high-pitched vocal sound, often used by small animals or birds. It can also describe the sound of teeth clicking together, usually due to cold or fear, or a rapid, nervous speech. The sound is often described as a series of quick, short, repetitive sounds. This word often evokes a sense of nervous energy, excitement, or unease. The term captures a certain quality of high-frequency sound patterns and can also be used metaphorically for any such analogous sounds like rapid speech or even sounds of small electronic circuits. It may also be a type of body language; shivers or tremors that suggest cold or being unsettled, and the movement, like the mouth chittering, that can also evoke the same feeling as the sound.
Chittering meaning with examples
- The flock of sparrows filled the morning air with their cheerful chittering as they hopped from branch to branch, searching for their breakfast. It created a symphony of small sounds and a sense of calm. Children and bird lovers alike enjoyed the music. They even provided a great alarm clock for some!
- As the icy wind whipped around her, the old woman's teeth began chittering uncontrollably, a physical manifestation of the cold that had seeped deep into her bones. She could barely finish speaking.
- The crowd's chittering grew louder as the magician began his act, a wave of anticipatory murmurs rippling through the audience. He was set to start performing.
- The faulty circuit board within the radio emitted a faint, erratic chittering, a concerning sign of impending failure. The technician identified the problem immediately as a faulty capacitor that was due to be replaced.