flirt

verb

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\ ˈflərt

flirted; flirting; flirts

Definition of flirt

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to move erratically : flit butterflies flirting among the flowers

2a : 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

flirt

noun

Definition of flirt (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of flirting

2 : a person who flirts

Other Words from flirt Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about flirt

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Other Words from flirt

Verb

flirtation \ ˌflər-ˈtā-shən

\ noun

flirter noun

flirty \ ˈflər-tē

\ adjective

Synonyms for flirt

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Noun

flirter,
wanton

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 This will be a warm storm; even tomorrow temperatures flirt with freezing. — Todd Nelson, Star Tribune, "Plowable Snowfall Likely By Friday Night," 13 Jan. 2021 The episode hinges on the romance between her character and Dani, who flirt throughout Bly’s nine episodes. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Is The Haunting Of Bly Manor Finale Actually A Happily Ever After?," 11 Oct. 2020 Highs could flirt with 50 degrees by Thursday and Friday. — Cliff Pinckard, cleveland, "Snow showers possible Monday, but mild conditions later this week: Cleveland, Akron weather," 7 Dec. 2020 Bitcoin climbed back above $18,000 last week to flirt with record levels, a spectacular rally driven by a new group of buyers seeking the opportunity for big profits. — Paul Vigna And Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, "Bitcoin Trades Again Near Record, Driven by New Group of Buyers," 23 Nov. 2020 Partly because, as Europe’s elite clubs flirt with the idea of a breakaway league once again, the days of El Dorado provide a warning: Ultimately, players will go where the money is, and fans will follow. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "The Lessons of the Pirate League," 30 Oct. 2020 And expect a couple of lucky souls in camp to net northerns that flirt with the 50-inch mark on the tape. — Colin Kearns, Field & Stream, "A Flyfishing Adventure to the Greatest Northern Pike River in North America," 5 Oct. 2020 Still, there is no excuse for allowing a sitting President to flirt with authoritarianism. — David Rohde, The New Yorker, "William Barr Can Stop Donald Trump’s Attempted Coup," 11 Nov. 2020 The Olsen twins manage to flirt with French boys and implement a proposal for clean drinking water at the French embassy in this undeniably charming kids movie. — Emma Specter, Vogue, "9 Shows and Movies to Watch While You Wait for Season 2 of Emily in Paris," 11 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun At least 15 states could see temperatures of minus-10 or colder, while lows near the US-Canada border flirt with minus-40. — Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, "Historic Arctic outbreak brings dangerous cold, snow, and ice to central and southern US," 14 Feb. 2021 While there, the two flirt with one another and bond over their outsider status. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "What Is 'WandaVision' About? Read Scarlet Witch's Heartbreaking Backstory Before Watching the Disney+ Show," 24 Jan. 2021 Play with your aesthetic, flirt, and socialize as charming Venus makes a trine with enigmatic Uranus in retrograde. — Venus Australis, refinery29.com, "Your Horoscope This Week," 10 Jan. 2021 The way the request was delivered as a flirt but landed as a threat. — Washington Post, "‘Take off your mask’: Boorish customers have found a way to make sexual harassment even more of a hazard," 10 Dec. 2020 Silas has been forced to watch Iris flirt with Percy and bore his sadness in silence. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "The Walking Dead: World Beyond," 16 Nov. 2020 Bevelled edges flirt with object-ness, making the works seem fat material presentations, protuberant from walls, rather than pictures. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "How to Read Sam Gilliam’s Formalism," 9 Nov. 2020 Those two soon flirt and that threatens to tear the brothers apart and the plan. — Mark Kennedy, Star Tribune, "Review: 'Jungleland' treads old paths but still hits hard," 2 Nov. 2020 The characters in this 1968 drama, New York friends gathered for a birthday celebration, slurp cocktails, trade bitchy repartee, assemble into a chorus line, flirt, flame out and throw fits. — Charles Mcnulty, Detroit Free Press, "Jim Parsons heads cast of Netflix’s solid remake of gay classic ‘The Boys in the Band’," 30 Sep. 2020

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.