as in flitting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
the birds flittered back and forth between the backyard feeder and the safety of the trees
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Recent Examples of flittering
Acknowledging that the debt-forgiveness fairy isn’t flittering in the wings on graduation day calls for careful assessment of college plans, dreams, and reality.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flittering
Verb
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This commentary was not from a wonkish TikToker nor a network pundit but from TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, which published the images of Graham after a citizen vacationer noticed the senator flitting through the theme park and sent pictures.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
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Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Chace Crawford catapulted to fame playing the scheming social butterflies flitting around Gossip Girl's Upper East Side.—
Rachel DeSantis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From corners, Bromley pack the six-yard box, with multiple players darting towards its centre.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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The hungry sharks surrounded Barley in the clips, leaping out of the water and quickly darting around his Sea-Doo.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kick your legs in small up-and-down fluttering motions while keeping your lower back flat and abs tight throughout.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
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Video from the scene hours after the fire first erupted showed ash fluttering through the air and burned paper in the yards of homes across the street from the warehouse.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Suddenly Bieber was dancing around, trading fun glances with his fellow-artists, finally gesturing toward the usually obvious fact that a concert might also be an uncomplicatedly good time.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
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Set the scene Arrive by car and enter the hotel’s main driveway to then be greeted by the resort’s grand Florentine Fountain with four sculpted water nymphs dancing around an octagonal pool, a visual amuse bouche to the opulence that awaits.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flittering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flittering. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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