flirt 1 of 2

as in wanton
a person who playfully shows another amorous attention he's just a harmless flirt, so don't take him seriously

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flirt

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to tease
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers

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2
as in to flit
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements lazily watched the butterflies flirting among the wildflowers

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb flirt differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of flirt are coquet, dally, toy, and trifle. While all these words mean "to deal with or act toward without serious purpose," flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object.

flirted with one fashionable ism after another

When is coquet a more appropriate choice than flirt?

In some situations, the words coquet and flirt are roughly equivalent. However, coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention.

companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

When could dally be used to replace flirt?

The synonyms dally and flirt are sometimes interchangeable, but dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement.

dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

When might toy be a better fit than flirt?

Although the words toy and flirt have much in common, toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers.

a political novice toying with great issues

In what contexts can trifle take the place of flirt?

The meanings of trifle and flirt largely overlap; however, trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt.

to trifle with a lover's feelings

Examples of flirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Despite a fragmented narrative and a couple of interesting characters, very little in Culprits feels all that modern and nothing so much as flirts with abstraction. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Dec. 2023 Getting the images with the right tone and emotion, and somehow creating this black-and-white fable that references other movies, but is a stand-alone perception of that sort of darkness that flirts between the genres of the vampire tale and the political movie. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Aug. 2023
Verb
From learning to wear heels to flirting with boys, God forbid uttering a cuss word. Michael Schneider, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024 If Ri has flirted with camo before (see: these Amiri pants), this is the closest she’s come to a full endorsement of the Full Metal Jacket print, which has stealthily been experiencing a revival of late. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for flirt 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near flirt

Cite this Entry

“Flirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirt. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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