1
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
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2
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
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Recent Examples of flirting
In the video, the two were seen flirting at TopGolf, quickly catching the attention of fans online.
—
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Sorry, hello, Rob was flirting.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Tuch scored 36 goals last season and is flirting with 70 points this season despite not getting time on Buffalo’s top power play.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The Lakers made 17 of their first 33 3-point attempts while the starters were still playing, flirting with the franchise record for 3-point shooting percentage before finishing 18 of 39.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Statewide, residential eviction filings were already flirting with state records by the end of last year.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 26 Feb. 2026
Houston could tie or break a 40-year-old heat record Thursday, while parts of South Texas will be flirting with their first 100-degree day of the year.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
Encouragingly, the front office did stop flirting with the cap floor, spending firmly above it, albeit nowhere near the ceiling, over the summer.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Shortly after, the pair realized that’s enough flirting.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Sorry, hello, Rob was flirting.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
Tuch scored 36 goals last season and is flirting with 70 points this season despite not getting time on Buffalo’s top power play.
—Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The Lakers made 17 of their first 33 3-point attempts while the starters were still playing, flirting with the franchise record for 3-point shooting percentage before finishing 18 of 39.
—CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026
Statewide, residential eviction filings were already flirting with state records by the end of last year.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 26 Feb. 2026
Houston could tie or break a 40-year-old heat record Thursday, while parts of South Texas will be flirting with their first 100-degree day of the year.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Houston Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
Encouragingly, the front office did stop flirting with the cap floor, spending firmly above it, albeit nowhere near the ceiling, over the summer.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026
Shortly after, the pair realized that’s enough flirting.
—Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirting
Verb
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Fans are convinced Musgraves is teasing a new album, which her fanbase has dubbed KM6.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
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Netflix is dishing out a second serving of A24‘s Beef, teasing a first look at the sophomore season of Lee Sung Jin‘s anthology.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Testifying in his own defense, Tyler said Wofford pointed a gun at him, her finger on the trigger, hands slightly shaking and eyes darting.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
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The singer-songwriter’s second album spotlights her wayward, darting mind and steadily droning guitar, with help from a constellation of fellow indie rockers from New York City and the Hudson Valley.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The bill is the result of six years of studying and toying around the edges of PBM issues.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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For families Families were flitting around the lobby, pool terrace, and elevators throughout my stay, so rest assured that this is a great spot to bring the kids—not to mention that the attached shopping mall and exceptionally safe surrounding neighborhood are reassuring for any parent.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Mar. 2026
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Hammond is flitting around the festival wearing a button-up shirt embroidered with the word SWEAT.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Curbed,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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October marks the start of butterfly season, with vibrant swarms fluttering well into the green season.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The sudden movement sends the birds fluttering away from you, to watch and wait.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The result was a reunion that finally provided (mostly) satisfying questions and answers about participants’ pasts and presents instead of dancing around topics.—
Maira Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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For instance, Jen’s DWTS partner, Jan, is a great guy, but Zac doesn’t like seeing his wife dancing at Disneyland with another man.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flirting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirting. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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