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

• tease
• coquette
• fool
• toy
• trifle
• coquet

Noun

• wanton
• flirter

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

But going all day Tuesday and Wednesday is flirting with overkill and asking too much, even of the devout slackers. —Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 10 July 2025

Donald Trump has flirted with the ideology, and his administration has hired multiple staffers who appear sympathetic to the white-nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes, a believer in race science. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025

Noun

Staff Pick: Sabrina Carpenter flirts with controversy (again) Sabrina Carpenter performs onstage during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 2 in Los Angeles. —Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 18 June 2025

At the club later that night, Caio and Lawrence stand off to the side while the rest of the crew dances and flirts. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 June 2025

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

Rhymes for flirt

• blurt
• chert
• curt
• dirt
• girt
• hurt
• peart
• pert
• shirt
• skirt
• spurt
• squirt

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