English Explanatory Dictionary

fluster

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb

To throw (someone) into a state of confusion or panic; to befuddle, to confuse.
To make emotionally overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
To turn on, to make horny.
To make (someone) feel flushed and hot through drinking alcoholic beverages; also, to make (someone) slightly drunk or tipsy.
To be agitated and confused; to bustle.
To become overwhelmed or visibly embarrassed, especially in a sexual or romantic context.
To become turned on, to become horny.
To catch attention; to be showy or splendid.
To boast or brag noisily; to bluster, to swagger.
Of a seed: to produce a shoot quickly.

noun

A state of agitation or confusion; a flutter.
A state of slight drunkenness or tipsiness; also, the excitement caused by this state.
Showiness, splendour.

Pronunciation

/ˈflʌstə/ /ˈflʌstəɹ/ En-us-fluster.ogg

Word forms

fluster flusters flustering flustered

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.

Synonyms

faze agitate bewilder addle baffle 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

Derived words

flusteration flustered flusterer flustering flusterment flustery flustrate flustration unflusterable unflustered

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.

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