noun
Meaning 1
A state of agitation or confusion; a flutter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: flurry
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
fluster
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈflʌstə/
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General-American: /ˈflʌstəɹ/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌstə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: F L AH1 S T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A state of slight drunkenness or tipsiness; also, the excitement caused by this state.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Showiness, splendour.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
Qualifier: uncertain
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic; to befuddle, to confuse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: agitate, bewilder, addle, baffle, vex, lose, embroil, stick, stump, baffound, bamboozle, bedevil, befuddle, throw, bemud, bemuse, bumfuzzle, complicate, confound, confuddle, confuse, confuzzle, dazzle, discombobulate, disconcert, blind, dumbfound, entangle, ferhoodle, flabagast, flabbergast, flabbergaster, flurry, fluster, flummox, fuddle, jumble, knot, mix up, muddle, muddy, ravel, perplex, puzzle
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To make emotionally overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To make emotionally overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
To turn on, to make horny.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To make (someone) feel flushed and hot through drinking alcoholic beverages; also, to make (someone) slightly drunk or tipsy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To be agitated and confused; to bustle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- He seemed to fluster when speaking in front of many people.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To become overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To become overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
To become turned on, to become horny.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To catch attention; to be showy or splendid.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, dialectal, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To boast or brag noisily; to bluster, to swagger.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
Of a seed: to produce a shoot quickly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive, obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 14
a disposition that is confused or nervous and upset
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: perturbation
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: discomposure
verb
Meaning 15
cause to be nervous or upset
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: confuse, flurry, disconcert, put off
Narrower terms: ruffle
verb
Meaning 16
be flustered; behave in a confused manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: behave, acquit, bear, deport, conduct, comport, carry
History
Etymology
The verb is probably from Middle English *flostren (implied in flostring, flostrynge (“agitation; blustering”)) from a Scandinavian (North Germanic) language; compare Icelandic flaustra (“to bustle”), flaustr (“a bustle; a hurry”). Compare Old English flustrian (“to weave, plait, braid”). The noun is derived from the verb.
Across languages
Translations
30 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Finnish: hämmennys — state of agitation or confusion
- Finnish: hermostus — state of agitation or confusion
- German: Durcheinander — state of agitation or confusion
- Māori: hūkikitanga — state of agitation or confusion
- Portuguese: afobação — state of agitation or confusion
- Bulgarian: обърквам (obǎrkvam) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Bulgarian: шашардисвам (šašardisvam) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Finnish: hämmentää — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Finnish: hermostuttaa — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- French: confondre — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- French: embrouiller — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- French: paumer — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- German: überrumpeln — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- German: verwirren — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Greek: συγχύζω (synchýzo) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Greek: ταράζω (tarázo) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Ido: konfuzeskar — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Māori: pōnānā — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Māori: whakahūkiki — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Māori: whakapōnānā — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Portuguese: afobar — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Russian: волнова́ть (volnovátʹ) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Russian: взбудораживать (vzbudoraživatʹ) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Ukrainian: метушитися (metušytysja) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Ukrainian: хвилювати (xvyljuvaty) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Ukrainian: збуджувати (zbudžuvaty) — to throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic — see also befuddle, confuse
- Finnish: juovuttaa — to make (someone) feel flushed and hot through drinking alcoholic beverages; to make (someone) slightly drunk or tipsy
- Finnish: olla hämmentynyt — to be agitated and confused — see also bustle
- Finnish: olla hermostunut — to be agitated and confused — see also bustle
- Finnish: erottua — to catch attention; to be showy or splendid