flirt

1 of 2

verb

ˈflərt 

flirted; flirting; flirts

intransitive verb

1

: to move erratically : flit

butterflies flirting among the flowers

2

a

: to behave amorously without serious intent

He flirts with every attractive woman he meets.

b

: to show superficial or casual interest or liking

flirted with the idea

also : experiment

a novelist flirting with poetry

3

: to come close to reaching or experiencing something

—used with with

flirting with disaster

transitive verb

1

: flick

They flirt water at each other's faces.

2

: to move in a jerky manner

a bird flirting its tail

flirtation

ˌflər-ˈtā-shən 

noun

flirter noun

flirty

ˈflər-tē 

adjective

flirt

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act or instance of flirting

2

: a person who flirts

Synonyms

Verb

• coquet
• coquette
• dally
• frivol
• mess around
• toy
• trifle

Noun

• flirter
• wanton

Choose the Right Synonym for flirt

trifle, toy, dally, flirt, coquet mean to deal with or act toward without serious purpose.

trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt.

to trifle with a lover's feelings

toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers.

a political novice toying with great issues

dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement.

dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object.

flirted with one fashionable ism after another

coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention.

companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

Examples of flirt in a Sentence

Verb

They were flirting all night.

the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers

Noun

he's just a harmless flirt, so don't take him seriously

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The company flirted with bankruptcy in 2003, but fought its way back into profitability with a series of strategic investments in e-commerce and direct-to-consumer sales, which currently make up nearly one-third of its business. —Kate Vitasek, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024

Australia is one of 14 Commonwealth realms that still recognize Charles as their King, and Australia has flirted with becoming a republic as opposed to a constitutional monarchy for years, even putting the matter up for a vote in 1999, when Queen Elizabeth was very much still on the throne. —Rachel Burchfield, People.com, 23 Oct. 2024

Noun

Simultaneously, her greener-than-green sous chef Lucia (Barbie Ferreira) — another hire by Andreas — flirts up a storm with their financer and starts testing her new boss’s rapidly diminishing patience. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Oct. 2024

Meta, infamous for kicking researchers off its platform, flirts with slightly more transparency. —Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 17 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

flirt

1 of 2 verb

ˈflərt 

1

: to show a liking for someone of the opposite sex just for fun

2

: toy entry 2

flirted with the idea

flirtation

ˌflər-ˈtā-shən 

noun

flirtatious

-shəs

adjective

flirtatiousness noun

flirter

ˈflərt-ər

noun

flirt

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of flirting

2

: a person who flirts a lot