flit

verb

ˈflit 

flitted; flitting

intransitive verb

1

: to pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another

2

archaic : alter, shift

3

: to move in an erratic fluttering manner

flit noun

Synonyms

• dart
• flutter
• dance
• fly
• flick
• scurry

Examples of flit in a Sentence

butterflies flitting around the garden

The hummingbird flitted from flower to flower.

She was always flitting around the kitchen.

Recent Examples on the Web

The first segment, under the Las Vegas Convention Center, was completed in 2021, but instead of city denizens flitting across the city, convention-goers are simply driven by humans in normal Teslas through a fairly standard road tunnel. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 July 2025

Bieber’s catalogue is searching and uneven, flitting between glossy renditions of trap-pop, mid-tempo R. & B., eighties new wave, campfire Christian sing-alongs, Afrobeat, and dancehall, his slick, supple voice skimming the surface of these styles while never committing to any of them. —Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 16 July 2025

Some folks are social butterflies, flitting from conversation to conversation like they were born to mingle. —Jj Rosen, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

The aim is to get him regular minutes rather than flit in and out of the team. —David Ornstein, New York Times, 22 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English flitten, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse flytjask to move, Old English flēotan to float

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flit

• do a moonlight flit

Rhymes for flit

• bit
• brit
• britt
• chit
• fit
• grit
• hit
• it
• kitt
• knit
• lit
• mitt

Kids Definition

flit

verb

ˈflit 

flitted; flitting

: to move or progress in a quick irregular manner

flit noun