- [singular] the sound that is made by something repeatedly hitting a surface quickly and lightly
- the patter of rain on the roof
- the patter of feet/footsteps
- I could hear the pitter-patter of feet in the corridor.
- [uncountable, singular] fast continuous talk by somebody who is trying to sell you something or entertain you
- sales patter
Word Originnoun sense 1 early 17th cent.: frequentative of pat (verb). noun sense 2 late Middle English (as a verb in the sense ‘recite (a prayer, charm, etc.) rapidly’): from paternoster, the Lord's Prayer, especially in Latin. The current sense dates from the mid 18th cent.
Idioms
See patter in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarythe patter of tiny feet
- (informal or humorous) a way of referring to children when somebody wants, or is going to have, a baby
- We can't wait to hear the patter of tiny feet.
Check pronunciation:
patter