patter

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ˈpæt.ə/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /ˈpæt.ɚ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Noun

Singular patter

Plural patters

1. Patter refers to the soft sound that feet makes when walking on a hard surface.

   The night was very quiet, and I could hear the patter of the mice crawling in the kitchen.

2. When someone makes a patter, the person is speaking very fast and the words have no meaning.

   Before the magician started on his magic trick, he got the attention of the audience through his patter.

3. A patter is someone who pats.

Verb

Plain form patter

Third-person singular patters

Past tense pattered

Past participle pattered

Present participle pattering

1. Pattering refers to the sound made by the rain when it hits a surface.
2. When someone patters, the person is trying to speak quickly without having meaning in the words, to patter.