chittering
Small animal sounds
Chittering describes the rapid, high-pitched sounds made by small animals—squirrels, birds, insects, or rodents: Squirrels were chittering in the branches overhead.
The word suggests quick, repetitive vocalizations, often conveying agitation or excitement.
It can apply to human speech that resembles such sounds—rapid, nervous chatter: The children were chittering with excitement.
High, thin sound
- chatteringQuick, repetitive sounds
- chirpingHigh repeated animal calls
- clickingMaking short sharp sounds
- twitteringLight, rapid vocal sounds
trilling · squealing · screeching · rustling · pattering · scurrying · scratching · gnawing
Bushy-tailed nut gatherers
- chipmunksSmall striped burrowing rodents
- rodentsGnawing mammal order
- miceSmall gnawing mammals
- ratsLong-tailed urban pests
bats · insects · raccoons · monkeys · birds · gerbils · hamsters · guinea pigs
Causing unease or discomfort
- creepyDisturbingly strange
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- unnervingCausing loss of composure
- sinisterThreateningly suggestive of harm
spooky · haunting · ghostly · nocturnal · shadowy · skittering · scrabbling · whispering
Conveying information nonverbally
- warningAlert about danger
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- territorialDefensive about owned space
- mating callSpecies-specific courtship signal
agitation · excitement · distress · social · chorus · colony · flock · gathering
squeaking
High, thin sound
- chatteringQuick, repetitive sounds
- chirpingHigh repeated animal calls
- clickingMaking short sharp sounds
twittering · trilling · squealing · screeching · rustling · pattering · scurrying · scratching · gnawing · nibbling
squirrels
Bushy-tailed nut gatherers
rats · bats · insects · raccoons · monkeys · birds · gerbils · hamsters · guinea pigs · marmots
unsettling
Causing unease or discomfort
- creepyDisturbingly strange
- ominousSuggesting something bad approaches
- unnervingCausing loss of composure
sinister · spooky · haunting · ghostly · nocturnal · shadowy · skittering · scrabbling · whispering · darkness
signaling
Conveying information nonverbally
- warningAlert about danger
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- territorialDefensive about owned space
mating call · agitation · excitement · distress · social · chorus · colony · flock · gathering · response
- bird soundschirp, birdcall, tweet, bird songs, cheep
- talkingtalking, chatting, conversing, gabbing, jabbering