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Synonyms

flirt

American  
[flurt] / flɜrt /

verb (used without object)

  1. to court triflingly or act amorously without serious intentions; play at love; coquet.

    Synonyms:
    dally, tease

  2. to trifle or toy, as with an idea.

    She flirted with the notion of buying a sports car.
    Synonyms:
    dally

  3. to move with a jerk or jerks; dart about.

    butterflies flirting from flower to flower.

verb (used with object)

  1. to give a sudden or brisk motion to; wave smartly, as a fan.

  2. to throw or propel with a toss or jerk; fling suddenly.

noun

  1. Also flirter. a person who is given to flirting.

    Synonyms:
    tease, coquette, minx

  2. a quick throw or toss; sudden jerk or darting motion.

flirt British  
/ flɜːt /

verb

  1. (intr) to behave or act amorously without emotional commitment; toy or play with another's affections; dally

  2. to deal playfully or carelessly (with something dangerous or serious); trifle

    the motorcyclist flirted with death

  3. to think casually (about); toy (with)

    to flirt with the idea of leaving

  4. (intr) to move jerkily; dart; flit

  5. (tr) to subject to a sudden swift motion; flick or toss

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person who acts flirtatiously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • flirter noun
  • flirtingly adverb
  • flirty adjective

Etymology

Origin of flirt

First recorded in 1540–50; of expressive origin; compare similar initial cluster in flap, flick 1, flip 1 and final elements of squirt, spurt

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many of those companies would flirt with losing money if competition from AI materializes, and a few might ultimately file for bankruptcy.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Tina feels friendly right now as stocks flirt with record highs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Meta’s internal guidelines for its AI chatbots permitted the technology to flirt with children and generate racist arguments, according to a Reuters report published Thursday.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2025

There's hope at least that the Potters might flirt with the play-offs this time around.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

I didn’t understand why he didn’t flirt with me, but now I’m glad.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.