Flurry

ˈflʌri

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
2 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A sudden or brief occurrence of many things at once; a short, light shower of snow.

ˈflʌri

nounneutralBeginner
General

A sudden, brief occurrence of something.

A sudden flurry of emails flooded my inbox this morning.

💡 Simply: Imagine a bunch of things happening really fast, all at the same time. Like a quick snow shower, or lots of people running around doing things all at once.

👶 For kids: A flurry is like a little bit of snow falling really fast, or a whole bunch of things happening all at once, like when everyone is excited!

More Examples

2

The stock market experienced a brief flurry of activity.

3

A flurry of snow dusted the ground.

How It's Used

Weather

"A flurry of snow began in the afternoon."

News

"The announcement caused a flurry of excitement among investors."

2

To move or cause to move in a hurried or excited manner; to be excitedly busy.

ˈflʌri

verbneutralmedium
General

To move in a hurried or agitated way.

The waiter flurried to serve all the guests.

💡 Simply: When you're hurrying around and getting a lot of things done fast, you're flurrying! Think of a chef running around the kitchen.

👶 For kids: If you flurry, you move around really fast and get a lot done, like when you are playing a fun game!

More Examples

2

She flurried about, trying to find her keys before she was late.

3

The birds flurried their wings in the wind.

How It's Used

Action

"The chef flurried around the kitchen, preparing for the dinner rush."

Literature

"The birds flurried their wings, escaping the cat."

Tip:Imagine someone *flurrying* around, frantically trying to get a lot done quickly.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

in a flurry

With a sudden burst of activity or excitement.

"The team prepared for the competition in a flurry of last-minute practices."

From Middle English floury, flory, of uncertain origin, possibly related to Old Norse *fløra ('to move quickly').

The word has been used since the 14th century to describe quick, irregular movements, originating from the sense of rapid wind or agitation.

Memory tip

Think of a *flurry* of leaves swirling in the wind, representing the sudden burst of something.

Word Origin

LanguageMiddle English (possibly related to Old Norse)
Original meaning

"To move or to be moved quickly, in a flurry"

Base: flurry
flurry of activityflurry of emailsflurry of snowa sudden flurry

Common misspellings

fluryflurrie

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written