FLIRTING Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

flirting

verb

present participle of flirt

as in teasing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in darting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 flirting This was offered as a way of talking about the Spanish capital on the whole, but it has been widely interpreted as flirting with 15-time Champions League winners Los Blancos. — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Like Friday, when a rookie lefty was flirting with a no-hitter in the middle innings, Bennett held New York hitless until Schuemann’s two-out homer in the fifth. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Lake Superior Court Judge Samuel Cappas sentenced a Chicago man to 76 years Thursday for gunning down a friend who was flirting with his girlfriend online. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026 Modesto will benefit from the same Delta breeze that Sacramento will, keeping temps from flirting with 100 degrees unlike Fresno. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 22 June 2026 But top players slip all the time, and with what amounts to two late first-round picks, the Knicks get two opportunities to add impact players on a minimum contract — something that won’t be available on the market for a team flirting with the second apron. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 22 June 2026 The country is now flirting with a possible place in the Round of 32. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 22 June 2026 Maybe someone is complimenting (or flirting with you) publicly, but controlling you behind the scenes. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026 Miami has already been flirting with record heat. — Nic Merianos, CBS News, 17 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirting

Verb

After teasing us for a while, Volvo finally showed off the EX30 for real in 2023.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Nike has been teasing its forthcoming partnership with the German team throughout this World Cup.

— Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of teasing

Verb

Photos shared by the city on social media show the presence of law enforcement among the crowd, including a moment of what appears to be people darting from a firework going off near 23rd Street.

— Paris Barraza, USA Today, 6 July 2026
So far, the Pentagon has released three batches of files ranging from decades-old FBI reports to more recent military videos showing orbs darting or soaring through the sky.

— CBS News, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Definition of darting

Verb

The formula is one of those shampoos formulated for a really great wash—delivering moisture and smoothing without toying too far into volumizing, densifying, or hair growth.

— Ellie Davis, Vogue, 25 June 2026
The age-gap romance is one that Statsky said the writers have been toying around with for quite some time.

— Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026

Definition of toying

Verb

Speaking on Harvard Business School’s The Founder Mindset podcast, hosted by senior lecturer and serial entrepreneur Reza Satchu, the Shark Tank investor argued that anyone trying to balance a young company against the rest of their life is fooling themselves.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 June 2026
The other is fooling humans, particularly the dwindling number of journalists, critics, and other gatekeepers who are still capable of conferring legitimacy by paying attention.

— Lane Brown, Vulture, 15 May 2026

Definition of fooling

Verb

But Curls Ultra aren’t solely interested in resurrecting the mysticism of the past or indulging in the parties of the present, the occasional fluttering flute solo or boisterous sax line notwithstanding.

— Reed Jackson, SPIN, 26 June 2026
Red, black and gold flags are flying from car bonnets and fluttering on balconies, especially on matchdays.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of fluttering

Verb

But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 22 June 2026

Definition of kidding

Verb

The pair is eyeing late summer for a doors-open debut, with an open-air block party that will close Imperial Street for dancing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
The girls beamed dancing with the smiling Johnson, who honored his co-star Catherine Laga'aia (the live-action Moana) in the dance.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 8 July 2026