Chitter

//ˈtʃɪtə// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Alternative form of chitterling. alt-of, alternative, dialectal
Verb
  1. 1
    To make a series of high-pitched sounds; to twitter, chirp or chatter.

    "It was a beautifully sunny day and beetles could be heard chittering loudly in the rose garden by the side of the path made out of antique bricks."

  2. 2
    make high-pitched sounds, as of birds wordnet
  3. 3
    To shiver or chatter with cold. Scotland, obsolete

    "Whare wilt thou cower thy chittering wing, / An' close thy e'e?"

Synonyms

All synonyms
cacklecallcarolcawchattercheep

Example

More examples

"It was a beautifully sunny day and beetles could be heard chittering loudly in the rose garden by the side of the path made out of antique bricks."

Etymology

From Middle English chiteren, chitren, cheteren. Ultimately onomatopoeic; compare didder and teeter as well as German zittern.

Related phrases

chitter-chatter

More for "chitter"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.