flirt

verb

ˈflərt 

flirted; flirting; flirts

intransitive verb

1

a

: to behave amorously without serious intent

teenagers flirting at the party

b

: to show superficial or casual interest or liking

flirted with the idea

also : experiment

a novelist flirting with poetry

2

: to come close to reaching or experiencing something

—used with with

flirting with disaster

3

: to move erratically : flit

butterflies flirting among the flowers

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

Synonyms of flirt

• tease
• toy
• fool
• trifle
• coquet

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

They were flirting all night.

the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers

Recent Examples on the Web

Angela’s widowed, insatiably romantic mother treated every day as a chance to scandalize her daughter and harmlessly flirt with everything nearby. —Jp Mangalindan, Entertainment Weekly, 10 June 2026

France might be an adamantly secular state, but its pastry shops like to flirt with religion. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Despite a record-flirting sack season and excellent production against the run in 2025, the Broncos tied for the second-fewest fumbles recovered of any NFL defense last year. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 9 June 2026

Smith has spent more than a year openly flirting with a potential 2028 presidential run. —Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

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