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
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s JJ Harel soared 7-2 to defend his state high jump title, flirting with a 45-year-old record.
—
Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
In all their years sharing the screen, Benson and Stabler have never gone beyond flirting with the idea of a romantic relationship.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
There is a significant amount of character lore and backstory to establish, much of it flirting with archetypes.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
That dispiriting news, coupled with consumer sentiment plunging to the lowest point ever recorded, should be enough to set off alarm bells and trigger talk of the economy flirting with recession.
—Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Because if Vitello can’t handle a simple case of a star player forgetting the outs at a critical juncture of the game against an archrival, who is to say what will be accepted next for a team that’s already flirting with effective playoff elimination?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Disney, which was in the process of buying ABC, was also flirting with launching a news network.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 14 May 2026
Despite his support for Ukraine, Stubb had begun flirting with the idea of eventually opening up talks with Russia in recent months.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2026
Cole Sulser is flirting with career-best numbers at age 36, while several high-leverage pitchers (Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta) have struggled with injuries and performance issues.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2026
Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
In all their years sharing the screen, Benson and Stabler have never gone beyond flirting with the idea of a romantic relationship.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 25 May 2026
There is a significant amount of character lore and backstory to establish, much of it flirting with archetypes.
—Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 20 May 2026
That dispiriting news, coupled with consumer sentiment plunging to the lowest point ever recorded, should be enough to set off alarm bells and trigger talk of the economy flirting with recession.
—Greg Petro, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Because if Vitello can’t handle a simple case of a star player forgetting the outs at a critical juncture of the game against an archrival, who is to say what will be accepted next for a team that’s already flirting with effective playoff elimination?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Disney, which was in the process of buying ABC, was also flirting with launching a news network.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 14 May 2026
Despite his support for Ukraine, Stubb had begun flirting with the idea of eventually opening up talks with Russia in recent months.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 May 2026
Cole Sulser is flirting with career-best numbers at age 36, while several high-leverage pitchers (Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta) have struggled with injuries and performance issues.
—John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirting
Verb
-
Off Campus is playing the long game by also teasing the fourth installment in Kennedy’s series, The Goal.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
29 May 2026
-
Netflix’s The Boroughs ends with a twist, teasing the future of the series and hinting at the true origin of Mother.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
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
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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
-
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
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Anderson said the warmth helps calm them down stops their eyes from fluttering.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
Verb
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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
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After killing Minnesota’s first power play, the Avalanche opened the scoring when defenseman Sam Malinski scored his first career playoff goal, fooling Wallstedt with a rising wrist shot.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
Verb
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In doing so dancing, much like writing, becomes an act of generational integration and re-membering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
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The video went viral of us just dancing and having fun with the song.—
Lucas Villa,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Zucker watched the video and thought Harper — more known for his brush with greatness as a two-time NL MVP — was kidding.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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Gilpin isn’t kidding about the haunting.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flirting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirting. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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