flirt
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flirted,
past participle, past
-
flirting
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
flirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flirted,
past participle, past
-
flirting
present participle
-
to give a sudden or brisk motion to; wave smartly, as a fan.
-
to throw or propel with a toss or jerk; fling suddenly.
verb
-
(intr) to behave or act amorously without emotional commitment; toy or play with another's affections; dally
-
to deal playfully or carelessly (with something dangerous or serious); trifle
the motorcyclist flirted with death
-
to think casually (about); toy (with)
to flirt with the idea of leaving
-
(intr) to move jerkily; dart; flit
-
(tr) to subject to a sudden swift motion; flick or toss
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flirtsimple
-
flirtssimple
-
have flirtedperfect
-
has flirtedperfect
-
am flirtingprogressive
-
are flirtingprogressive
-
is flirtingprogressive
-
have been flirtingperfect progressive
-
has been flirtingperfect progressive
Past
-
flirtedsimple
-
had flirtedperfect
-
was flirtingprogressive
-
were flirtingprogressive
-
had been flirtingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
If you're interested in someone romantically, you might flirt with them, which means to chat them up or tease them in a playful way. Flirting is an indirect and fun way to let your crush know you're interested, like a seductive line or a few coy words. Or if there's a girl you've had your eye on, you might make a point of walking by her desk and saying hello every morning. But even if you don't have a love interest, you can still flirt. Driving carelessly is flirting with disaster: it's almost like you're toying with the idea of getting into an accident.
Vocabulary lists containing flirt
"Analysis of Baseball" and "Singing and Stretching"
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The Lions of Little Rock
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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.
See Examples For:
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bond-buyback plan looks like all hat and no cattle as yields flirt with multiyear highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Southgate continued to flirt with playing him in that position during the course of the next 12 months, before abandoning the plan after an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Denmark.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Once everyone is locked in, COs get to lounge around inside the bubble: eat, drink coffee, flirt with each other, complain, maybe nap until they have to perform the 10:30 p.m. count.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
“I learned to flirt there, I learned to smoke there, I learned to trash-talk there,” she says.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Let me pause a moment on the subject of Mrs. van Daan and tell you that her attempts to flirt with Father are a constant source of irritation to me.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
That is despite warnings that it has morphed from a Eurosceptic party, founded in 2013, into one that flirts with, or attracts, extremist support.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
America flirts with it and folds, every single cycle.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2026
Stocks are set to continue their selloff as oil flirts with the $100-a-barrel level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
A great example is when Clark initially flirts with Carol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
He hates it when she flirts with others.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Jolene was released in 1973, and is about the fear she might lose her husband Carl Dean to a red-headed bank clerk who had flirted with him early on in their marriage.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026
Only one-third of stocks in the S&P 500 index were trading above their 50-day moving average as of Friday, even as the benchmark flirted with an all-time high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
That can be overwhelming - as Leicester City found out after their fairytale Premier League win back in 2015-16, when they flirted with relegation in their title defence season.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
After eight seasons with the Lakers, he became an unrestricted free agent and flirted with retirement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Mom never talks bad about her, but I know I am not supposed to like this woman, who knew my dad had a girlfriend, a daughter, but flirted with him anyway.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
High-profile spectators are flirting with the idea that Amazon’s ban on Muse or other shopping agents could make it vulnerable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026
After weeks of heavy selling the yield on 10-year government bonds is now flirting with the psychological threshold of five percent, a level not seen since 2002.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Over more than 10 years and 100 dates, Dimoldenberg's awkward flirting, deadpan silences and willingness to overshare has made her channel an unmissable stop for any celeb, single or not.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
And, with this year’s Angels flirting with the first 100-loss season in franchise history, are the Angels going to be much better next year?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Sleeps as Richard’s cousin Lloyd bounds up and down the aisle flirting with a girl up front.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
