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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flitting
But how bats can tell which echo to follow while flitting around in a sea of overlapping and competing signals pinging off the myriad surfaces in their environments has been a mystery—until now.
—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2026
At ease everywhere from flitting free jazz to looser, funkier textures, Allen abides, insistent but never overbearing on a session well worth the wait.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
That Cody Balmer avowed the Palestinian cause in his call to 911, despite no prior connection to it, fits the general pattern, since that’s what was flitting across his screens.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
At its center is a 30-foot ferris wheel with twirling elements including a sun and moon, and 28 mechanical butterflies with beating wings flitting among colorful flowers.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
Pulse is a ghost story, featuring two interwoven storylines about young Tokyoites who begin to see and hear strange apparitions flitting across their computer screens.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
The spaces are smaller, with lower benches, and the older players, flitting between dressing rooms for U14s and U12s, have had to take their belongings home each day rather than leave them in lockers due to the carousel of teams moving in and out.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Expect flocks of vibrant flamingos and tiny flitting hummingbirds spreading their wings over the turquoise waters and tangles of mangroves that unfold across lagoons that stretch parallel to the sea.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
To a different namesake, all this flitting indecision might seem like disrespect.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025
Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 20 Jan. 2026
At ease everywhere from flitting free jazz to looser, funkier textures, Allen abides, insistent but never overbearing on a session well worth the wait.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
That Cody Balmer avowed the Palestinian cause in his call to 911, despite no prior connection to it, fits the general pattern, since that’s what was flitting across his screens.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
At its center is a 30-foot ferris wheel with twirling elements including a sun and moon, and 28 mechanical butterflies with beating wings flitting among colorful flowers.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
Pulse is a ghost story, featuring two interwoven storylines about young Tokyoites who begin to see and hear strange apparitions flitting across their computer screens.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
The spaces are smaller, with lower benches, and the older players, flitting between dressing rooms for U14s and U12s, have had to take their belongings home each day rather than leave them in lockers due to the carousel of teams moving in and out.
—Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Expect flocks of vibrant flamingos and tiny flitting hummingbirds spreading their wings over the turquoise waters and tangles of mangroves that unfold across lagoons that stretch parallel to the sea.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2025
To a different namesake, all this flitting indecision might seem like disrespect.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flitting
Verb
-
Officials warn that street racing, with drivers darting through and around traffic without regard for the safety of others, can have deadly consequences.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The headlights of the long-haul trucks illuminated Joshua trees and darting bats.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The metallic silver dress featured dense sequins, subtle corsetry through the waist, and a fluttering midiskirt that shifted with movement.—
Daisy Maldonado,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
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With 10 minutes to spare before a rally at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard, at least 50 protesters were already showing up with drums, saxophones, homemade signs and fluttering American flags to protest ICE's killing of 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Widening his friend circle and going out dancing.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Hundreds of Senegalese gathered for a public viewing in the area historically called Little Senegal in Harlem, then spilled into the streets waving flags, singing and dancing in an informal parade late into the night.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flitting. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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