Definition of FLIRT

Other Words from flirt

Verb

flirtation \ ˌflər-ˈtā-shən

\ noun

flirter noun

flirty \ ˈflər-tē

\ adjective

Synonyms for flirt

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

Choose the Right Synonym for flirt

Verb

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

Over the course of two days, Brown started to flirt with the woman, according to Klemko. — Scooby Axson, SI.com, "Second Woman Accuses Antonio Brown Of Sexual Misconduct," 16 Sep. 2019 Pickens flirted with the idea of marketing water from West Texas to the state's metropolitan areas. — Fortune, "Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens Dies at 91," 11 Sep. 2019 Besides, Tyler wouldn't be the only Bachelor alum to ever flirt with a celebrity; Mike Johnson and Demi Lovato are clearly shooting their shots on social media, and Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland is engaged to Wells Adams. — Ineye Komonibo, Marie Claire, "Gigi Hadid and Tyler Cameron Really Might Be a Thing," 9 Aug. 2019 For The Game of Desire, a new self-help dating guide from Shan Boodram, the sexologist enlisted five women for a romance boot camp, designed to teach them to flirt better, identify matches and communicate with purpose. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "A Sexologist, a Comedian and a Woman on a 'Man Fast' Rewrite the Rules of Dating," 8 Aug. 2019 But Bell’s subtle cues—a flinch after her roommate’s callous comment, a flash of vulnerability in her eyes when a guy flirting with her at a bar turns lewd—let the audience know that Brittany’s humor is a form of self-defense. — Sarah Todd, Quartzy, "Can you be body-positive and want to lose weight?," 4 Sep. 2019 But Nolan’s movie notably flirted with the possible existence of benevolent entities, beaming a message of hope and salvation across time and space to our lowly and inglorious species. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: Brad Pitt sets out to save the world in ‘Ad Astra,’ a space odyssey that stumbles and soars," 30 Aug. 2019 Temperatures flirted with the 100-degree mark before Margo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Juarez Mayor Armando Cabada, Chihuahua Gov. Javier Corral and Mexico's undersecretary for North American relations, Jesús Seade, joined the throngs of people. — Dallas News, "Abbott decries racism as thousands grieve, celebrate the lives of 22 people killed in El Paso massacre," 14 Aug. 2019 When the bubble burst in 2008, starting a deep recession, real estate prices plunged, people defaulted on loans, construction came to a halt and Irish banks, deeply indebted to foreign banks, flirted with insolvency. — New York Times, "Housing Crisis Grips Ireland a Decade After Property Bubble Burst," 8 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In a subsequent scene, when the girls’ school bus is stopped by British soldiers, one of them stares down the barrel of their machine guns — and flirts. — Alice Jones, New York Times, "In ‘Derry Girls,’ the Lighter Side of Life in a Conflict Zone," 31 July 2019 Influenced by time spent living in Lisbon and traveling in Latin America and Europe, the music flirts between peppy, moody intrigue and unnecessarily grating detours. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "The Paradox of Madonna’s Gun-Control Music Video," 3 July 2019 The visiting extraterrestrial flirts with her, praising her beauty, grinning at buddy boy H the whole time. — Darren Franich, EW.com, "Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson reunite for eerily bland Men in Black: International: EW review," 12 June 2019 That’s unfortunate, since the movie flirts, and that is the word, with the idea of a romance between them. — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "The men, and some women, are back in black," 12 June 2019 With its relaxed bearing and easy tunefulness, Mr. Tyler’s album flirts with music that is devoid of tension and too pretty—in the 1980s, a less discerning record clerk might have filed this one in the New Age section. — Mark Richardson, WSJ, "‘Goes West’ by William Tyler Review: Music History in Modern Melody," 23 Jan. 2019 Many in Italy, where Fiat and the Agnelli family are loathed and loved, interpreted the GM flirt as a first step to the family abandoning FCA. — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, "Sergio Marchionne’s Death Thrusts Agnelli Heir Into Spotlight," 25 July 2018 As the light fades, the ambient temperature flirts with freezing. — Daniel Otis, Sunset, "Awe-Inspiring Canadian Rockies Camping Adventure," 22 Jan. 2018 Personals, while ostensibly functioning as a way to meet future partners, also works as a support network where people show up simply to encourage people's posts and trade flirts. — Angela Watercutter, WIRED, "Could a Text-Based Dating App Change Selfie-Swiping Culture?," 10 July 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.