1
as in teases
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
the servers at that restaurant flirt with all the customers
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in flits
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 flirts
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In the visual, Faith is in a bar singing about and to her love interest, as Thornton performs onstage, flirts, and drinks his way through the night.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Opening with a melancholic harmonica that flirts with a country twang, the track feels unfiltered as Eric Aragón (real name) sings of regret and the sting of love gone wrong.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
At the party, Gerry Wade (Corey Mylchreest) flirts endearingly with Bundle.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
While the Navy flirts with battleship concepts and struggles to find a strategy to support even their handful of well-performing surface combatants, the Coast Guard’s Sentinel class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) production line, once set to wind down, has secure funding and is set to keep building.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Mark briefly flirts with manosphere-style aggrievement, but anger doesn’t suit him.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Jan. 2026
Reeves flirts with Michael Douglas territory in this Eli Roth erotic thriller that’s not especially good but is interesting as an acting exercise.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Columbus, Ohio, could approach its daily record high of 83 degrees Saturday, while San Antonio, Texas, flirts with a daily record of 93 degrees.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
One flirts and drinks and dallies and dances; the other is part child, part monk, his mantel packed with icons and crucifixes, his inner landscape a kind of mental Sagrada Família — a weird and extraordinary edifice constructed around the rigors and promises of Christianity.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
In the visual, Faith is in a bar singing about and to her love interest, as Thornton performs onstage, flirts, and drinks his way through the night.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
While waiting for flights to resume, Charli’s character Bethany flirts with the idea of blowing up her life by rekindling a romance with an old friend who owns a flower shop in Warsaw.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Feb. 2026
Delivered with an ease that flirts with comedy, it can be taken as humor punctuating drama.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
Opening with a melancholic harmonica that flirts with a country twang, the track feels unfiltered as Eric Aragón (real name) sings of regret and the sting of love gone wrong.
—Natalia Cano, Billboard, 16 Jan. 2026
At the party, Gerry Wade (Corey Mylchreest) flirts endearingly with Bundle.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
While the Navy flirts with battleship concepts and struggles to find a strategy to support even their handful of well-performing surface combatants, the Coast Guard’s Sentinel class Fast Response Cutter (FRC) production line, once set to wind down, has secure funding and is set to keep building.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Mark briefly flirts with manosphere-style aggrievement, but anger doesn’t suit him.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Jan. 2026
Reeves flirts with Michael Douglas territory in this Eli Roth erotic thriller that’s not especially good but is interesting as an acting exercise.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Columbus, Ohio, could approach its daily record high of 83 degrees Saturday, while San Antonio, Texas, flirts with a daily record of 93 degrees.
—Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirts
Verb
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The trailer then shows Hagrid explaining the Wizarding World to Harry and teases some information about his deceased parents.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
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The trailer teases a few of those moments, including one with Cyrus and her mom Tish Cyrus-Purcell sitting in Hannah Montana's iconic closet.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As the movie flits between these different storylines, time is reframed less as something to resist (or defy) than as something to embrace.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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Identity takes the lead as the Moon flits into your sign, so your tone, pace, and choices are most likely to set the mood for everyone today.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Here, Matcha Milk toys the line between sweet and earthy, blending macadamia milk and vanilla with black tea and matcha accord.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel (center) flutters a Venezuelan and Cuban national flags in support of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in Havana.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Longoria darts across the kitchen to gather more gastronomic tidbits and sample leftover morsels.—
Lale Arikoglu,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Mar. 2026
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Brindley is a high-end, debatably elite skater who gets through his extensions quickly (including from a standstill), excels on his edges, rounds corners sharply and darts around the ice, hunting pucks and pushing through holes.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Guided by the imperious voiceover of family matriarch Ann (Francis Annis), Soames chases after the lovely Irene (Millie Gibson), who scandalously dances ballet and wants to go to Paris.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2026
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Then Nelson dances a guy in the neutral zone and gets tripped … like, that’s what the penalties are for.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the video, the snake flicks its tongue, a common sensory behavior used to detect chemical cues in the air and identify nearby prey or potential predators.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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Brobbey flicks the ball into the path of Diarra, who carries it into the vacated space, before his shot deflects off Axel Tuanzebe and gives Sunderland the lead.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flirts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flirts. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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