flit
Americanverb (used without object)
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to move lightly and swiftly; fly, dart, or skim along.
bees flitting from flower to flower.
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to flutter, as a bird.
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to pass quickly, as time.
hours flitting by.
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Chiefly Scot. and North England.
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to depart or die.
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to change one's residence.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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a light, swift movement; flutter.
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Scot. and North England. a change of residence; instance of moving to a new address.
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Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
verb
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to move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
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to fly rapidly and lightly; flutter
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to pass quickly; fleet
a memory flitted into his mind
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dialect to move house
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informal to depart hurriedly and stealthily in order to avoid obligations
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an informal word for elope
noun
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the act or an instance of flitting
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slang a male homosexual
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informal a hurried and stealthy departure in order to avoid obligations (esp in the phrase do a flit )
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See moonlight flit
Related Words
See fly 2.
Other Word Forms
- flitter noun
- flittingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of flit
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English flitten, from Old Norse flytja “to carry, convey,” Swedish flytta; fleet 2
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.
Smith said he flitted in and out of homelessness during that time — his first time ever without stable housing.
From Los Angeles Times
Each of these resorts has an undersea restaurant, where travelers can sip sparkling wine and eat crab and caviar as Rainbowfish flit by, and Blacktip sharks skulk in the distance.
From Salon
Retail participation is certainly being seen right now, according to the BIS— perhaps most surprisingly in gold, a stalwart inflation hedge which has flitted in and out of fashion among investors for decades.
From Barron's
Retail participation is certainly being seen right now, according to the BIS— perhaps most surprisingly in gold, a stalwart inflation hedge which has flitted in and out of fashion among investors for decades.
From Barron's
Pfeiffer’s Texan matriarch is a delight to watch as she flits about her house, decking the halls with warm, multicolored lights and seasonal throw pillows.
From Salon
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.
