as in flitting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
the housefly darted about the room until it found an open window and flew out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of darting
Arnaldi turned into some version of Carlos Alcaraz, scrambling all over the court, making miracle saves and darting winners down the line.
—
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 June 2026
In between takes while filming Cocktail (1988), the actor saw costar Elisabeth Shue darting toward a helicopter's tail rotor — which, when in motion, is barely visible and thus instantly lethal.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
Like a vibrantly hued snake darting down the narrow branch of a tree, the collective of high-performance automobiles rapidly navigates the narrow, serpentine artery along the Northeastern Italian coast, a quicksilver-like tracing of the border between Il Bel Paese and Slovenia.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
The streaker managed to dodge several security guards, darting onto the iconic steps before being tackled and escorted off the premises.
—Alyssa Modos, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The others seem to be darting about.
—Andy Court, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Lola was found darting out onto a busy street in Tempe.
—Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
Everyone is gagged, with their mouths agape and eyes darting around.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
As soon as the door opens, Sadie jumps up to greet Koch before darting off to grab a toy, bounding back toward Koch with her tail still wagging.
—Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 1 June 2026
In between takes while filming Cocktail (1988), the actor saw costar Elisabeth Shue darting toward a helicopter's tail rotor — which, when in motion, is barely visible and thus instantly lethal.
—Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 30 May 2026
Like a vibrantly hued snake darting down the narrow branch of a tree, the collective of high-performance automobiles rapidly navigates the narrow, serpentine artery along the Northeastern Italian coast, a quicksilver-like tracing of the border between Il Bel Paese and Slovenia.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
The streaker managed to dodge several security guards, darting onto the iconic steps before being tackled and escorted off the premises.
—Alyssa Modos, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The others seem to be darting about.
—Andy Court, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Lola was found darting out onto a busy street in Tempe.
—Molly Guthrey, Twin Cities, 1 May 2026
Everyone is gagged, with their mouths agape and eyes darting around.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
As soon as the door opens, Sadie jumps up to greet Koch before darting off to grab a toy, bounding back toward Koch with her tail still wagging.
—Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for darting
Verb
-
Early mornings at Mukwa are quiet, with mist rising off the river and birds flitting along the river bank.—
Sarah Kingdom,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
In the garden, bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies can be found flitting among the dazzling blooms.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Video showed the Israeli flag fluttering from atop the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle while black smoke billowed from the nearby town of Arnoun.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
Anderson said the warmth helps calm them down stops their eyes from fluttering.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In doing so dancing, much like writing, becomes an act of generational integration and re-membering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
The video went viral of us just dancing and having fun with the song.—
Lucas Villa,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Kamara found it a couple of hours before kick-off when flicking through a copy of the matchday programme.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
23 May 2026
-
The dragons stalk the island, flicking their huge tongues in hopes of picking up the scent of a deer, wild boar, or water buffalo — the latter two species introduced by humans — or rodents and other smaller reptiles, including baby Komodo dragons.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Darting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/darting. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
