FLIRTS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

flirts 1 of 2

noun

plural of flirt

as in flirters

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

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flirts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flirt

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

as in flits

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

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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 flirts

Noun

The hole’s narrow fairway flirts with disaster on both sides – water and super high rough. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026 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 As crude flirts with prices of $100 a barrel or more on the back of the war in Iran, could the US oil sector ride to the rescue of consumers? — David Wethe, Bloomberg, 13 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

Between Jordan’s charm and Misty’s smile that only emerges around him, the film flirts with becoming a romantic comedy. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026 Hal flirts with Kerry; John has an affair with Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), the wife of William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), a local cattle mogul whose compound has more high tech weaponry than a mere human would seem to need. — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026 Rachel dates a shoe store operator named Lou (Bob Hoskins), while Charlotte nurses a crush on her handsome young school bus driver and flirts with Catholicism to the chagrin of her Jewish mother. — David Faris, TheWeek, 17 July 2026 Dishes are custom made in Italy and flown over, wine flirts between old world Italian wonders and bottles from local makers. — Kate Dingwall, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 From time to time the thermometer flirts with 70. — Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026 Surrounded by honeymooners, June tries (and flirts) to reclaim her joie de vivre, while Lela is deep in the dark. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 6 May 2026 At a lawn party devoted to the game of cornhole, Clark flirts with Floyd’s wife and the two soon begin an affair, meeting for afternoon assignations at the local Quality Garden Suites. — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 There is a genre-bending western; two stories blend speculative details with realism to portray women planning their escapes; three stories spec-ify the only-daughter experience; and one story flirts with where to begin. — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flirts

Verb

Inez, our colleague, teases me with all of the wonderful descriptions of the Wisconsin State Fair.

— Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
This establishment of this family-friendly version of Castle Rock led to Pumpkinhead 2’s final scene, which teases the arrival of a menacing, giggly presence from Afraid of Clowns.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of teases

Verb

Stellantis There's also all the homologation and regulatory hurdles attached to having something that flits between being a passenger-car and a light truck.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026
Jeffrey said his father flits about from KC to his 35 international restaurants, which are located in the Middle East, Asia and beyond.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of flits

Verb

The big night As a photographer’s shutter clicks, Folger flutters a mascara wand over her lashes while preparing for opening night at the Elysian.

— Meredith Maran, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
The flag of Iran flutters in the wind outside of the IAEA headquarters.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of flutters

Verb

In non-linear fashion, Sorkin’s scenario darts back and forth between 2018, ’19, ’20 and ’21, offering a puzzle that eventually will come all together.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Sam Levy’s editing likewise darts associatively between these moods, seemingly letting sense memory shape the chronology of proceedings.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of darts

Verb

There’s something in the imperfection of humanity, and the interior life of someone who dances or even someone who just smokes a cigarette, that’s not quite there yet.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
First, the sequence pays homage to the nightclub scene in Gilda (1946), in which Rita Hayworth dances in a long shot amid ogling male patrons, tracked by a concentrated spotlight.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of dances

Verb

Fernandes then flicks the ball to his team-mate and Mainoo rattles the woodwork, with Anderson unable to block the shot.

— Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
As if to signal this iteration hasn’t completely deviated from its roots, in the show’s opening moments, Deborah Wayne coolly flicks the iconic flip-up frames made famous by Hardison’s Dwayne.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026