as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
bargain hunters at the flea market flitted from table to table like hummingbirds in a garden
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Recent Examples of flitting
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
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
Spring's warmth is settling in across southern Michigan, and hummingbirds will soon be flitting about the state.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Jacir wants to show a cross section of people’s responses to these events, but the result often feels like scattershot scenes from a longer miniseries, flitting from one character to another with little narrative thrust or cohesion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Fittingly, Daniel Pemberton’s score has that same sense of free-ranging curiosity, flitting between genres at will.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Even as the Hudson Theatre is still filling up, the star of the Harry Potter movie franchise, and much theater subsequent to that, is already flitting from row to row, exuding equal parts friendliness and determination of purpose.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
But few teams bring a nastier one-two wallop than the Lakers, who kept the forward busy flitting back and forth between Dončić and LeBron James.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
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
Spring's warmth is settling in across southern Michigan, and hummingbirds will soon be flitting about the state.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Jacir wants to show a cross section of people’s responses to these events, but the result often feels like scattershot scenes from a longer miniseries, flitting from one character to another with little narrative thrust or cohesion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Fittingly, Daniel Pemberton’s score has that same sense of free-ranging curiosity, flitting between genres at will.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Even as the Hudson Theatre is still filling up, the star of the Harry Potter movie franchise, and much theater subsequent to that, is already flitting from row to row, exuding equal parts friendliness and determination of purpose.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
But few teams bring a nastier one-two wallop than the Lakers, who kept the forward busy flitting back and forth between Dončić and LeBron James.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flitting
Verb
-
As soon as the door opens, Sadie jumps up to greet Koch before darting off to grab a toy, bounding back toward Koch with her tail still wagging.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The confused drivers darting across three lanes to an exit that was there last month, but has now vanished.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
October marks the start of butterfly season, with vibrant swarms fluttering well into the green season.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
“Flitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flitting. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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