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

Sunlight flitted over the Pacific Ocean and into our bedroom. —Joe Garcia, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025

The spaces are smaller, with lower benches, and the older players, flitting between dressing rooms for U14s and U12s, have had to take their belongings home each day rather than leave them in lockers due to the carousel of teams moving in and out. —Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025

Bees and wasps flitted together on yellow flowers, and as the day wore on, gnats clumped in beams of sunshine to make a kind of haze. —Blair Braverman, Outside, 6 Oct. 2025

Waiters flit by with watercolor-red curlicues of marbled pork, baskets stacked with lettuce leaves. —Irene Yoo september 26, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 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