flirt

verb \ ˈflərt \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of flirt

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

play \ˌflər-ˈtā-shən\ noun

—

flirter

noun

—

flirty

play \ˈflər-tē\ adjective

See flirt defined for English-language learners

See flirt defined for kids

Examples of flirt in a Sentence

They were flirting all night.
the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers

Recent Examples of flirt from the Web

The foliage is greening up, wildlife is out and about and the weather is flirting with the first 70-degree day of 2018.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Spring fishing is here. Are you, and your gear, ready for the season? | Idaho Statesman," 16 Apr. 2018
Patterson Mill senior pitcher Austin Koehn flirted with a no-hitter Wednesday, but settled for a two-hit, 6-0, shutout of visiting Bel Air in an UCBAC Chesapeake Division game.

— randy mcroberts, The Aegis, "Koehn tosses two-hitter in Patterson Mill's baseball win over Bel Air," 12 Apr. 2018
That Wall Street would flirt with bad habits just 10 years after the same habits rocked the global economy is just the latest example of the United States trying to unlearn the lessons of the catastrophe.

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "Subprime mortgage bonds are making a comeback," 30 Mar. 2018
For years now, the US Department of Agriculture has been flirting with the latest and greatest DNA manipulation technologies.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "Crispr’d Food, Coming Soon to a Supermarket Near You," 30 Mar. 2018
During its budget discussions last fall, the council flirted with the idea of not funding the group.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "City Council mulls contract with Elgin Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau," 20 Mar. 2018
Hilarion, the gamekeeper, is in love with Giselle and feels threatened by Albrecht, who flirts and pretends he isn’t engaged.

— marcia manna, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In City Ballet's 'Giselle,' dancers find charm in classic work," 8 Mar. 2018
After a bit of flirting one left and my friend escorted her to her room.

— lodro rinzler, Marie Claire, "I Tried to Have a Threesome...and Totally Failed," 19 June 2015
The Nasdaq flirted with a correction, meaning a drop of 10% or more from a recent high.

— Fox News, "Dow closes down nearly 460 after earlier 700-point plunge," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flirt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of flirt

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1580

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

flirt Synonyms

Synonyms

dance, dart, flick, flicker, flit, flitter, flutter, zip;

Near Antonyms

float, hang, hover;

scamper, scud, scurry, scuttle, skip, skitter;

meander, ramble, roam, wander;

Synonym Discussion of 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

flirt

noun

Definition of flirt

1 : an act or instance of flirting

2 : a person who flirts

See flirt defined for English-language learners

Examples of flirt in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of flirt from the Web

Torres is a flirt, and something of a sucker for a good accent, and flirts with Giles throughout the second episode.

— michaela bechler, Vogue, "Netflix Announces Another Season of Nailed It!—Here’s Why You Should Binge-Watch the First," 26 Mar. 2018
Or even just a flirty-flirt that has one sour note in it.

— katie kilkenny, Billboard, "Barry Diller Weighs in on #MeToo Movement: 'All Men Are Guilty'," 24 Mar. 2018
Or even just a flirty-flirt that has one sour note in it.

— katie kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, "Barry Diller Weighs in on #MeToo Movement: "All Men Are Guilty"," 24 Mar. 2018
Still, some of the White House officials acknowledged that Trump did once flirt with removing Mueller.

— mary clare jalonick, Washington Post, "GOP leaders have yet to move to protect special counsel," 20 Mar. 2018
In a colorful party, Monaé mingles and flirts with both Tessa Thompson and an equally attractive man.

— refinery29.com, "Demi Lovato & Q-Tip Just Gave Us Another Pro-LGBTQ+ Music Video," 16 Mar. 2018
President Donald Trump’s new budget proposal flirts with combating high prescription drug prices, but industry watchers say the tweaks to Medicare and Medicaid do little more than dance around the edges of lowering the actual prices of drugs.

— sarah jane tribble, Washington Post, "Trump’s Budget Proposal Swings At Drug Prices With A Glancing Blow," 12 Feb. 2018
The pair romantically ride around the city on a motorcycle together, before the scene switches to a picturesque sunset overlooking tranquil ocean waters, as a cornrow-laced Tyga flirts with the Costa Rican model.

— michael saponara, Billboard, "Tyga Travels to Thailand for Tropical 'Temperature' Video: Premiere," 12 Jan. 2018
The two flirt in the slow, and Sheeran presents Deutch with a pizza box.

— megan armstrong, Billboard, "Ed Sheeran Slow Dances in the Snow and Cuddles Kittens in 'Perfect' Video: Watch," 9 Nov. 2017

Origin and Etymology of flirt

see ¹flirt

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1590

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

FLIRT Defined for English Language Learners

flirt

verb

Definition of flirt for English Language Learners

: to behave in a way that shows a sexual attraction for someone but is not meant to be taken seriously
: to think about something or become involved in something in a way that is usually not very serious
: to come close to reaching or experiencing something