flit
Americanverb (used without object)
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flits,
present (3rd person singular)
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flitted,
past participle, past
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flitting
present participle
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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)
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flits,
present (3rd person singular)
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flitted,
past participle, past
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flitting
present participle
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
Synonym Usage
See fly 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flitsimple
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flitssimple
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have flittedperfect
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has flittedperfect
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am flittingprogressive
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are flittingprogressive
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is flittingprogressive
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have been flittingperfect progressive
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has been flittingperfect progressive
Past
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flittedsimple
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had flittedperfect
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was flittingprogressive
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were flittingprogressive
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had been flittingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flit
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English flitten, from Old Norse flytja “to carry, convey,” Swedish flytta; see fleet 2
Explanation
A flit is a quick movement. You might flit around a crowded party, greeting everyone briefly with some light-hearted chatter and moving on quickly. Whether it's used to describe something literal or figurative, flit refers to something fleeting and quick. Flit and fleet are both related to float. Something that floats keeps moving. A smile might flit across your face or a thought may flit into your mind. That means the smile or the thought is there for a second and then gone.
Vocabulary lists containing flit
Hot to Trot: Animal Ambulation
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Stargirl
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Matilda
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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:
To that end, the show’s characters flit from one iconic L.A. destination to another, including Trumps, a bygone West Hollywood restaurant; the Sherman Oaks Galleria; and Westwood Village.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Silverblatt spent his entire career at S&P, a rarity among restless Wall Street hustlers who often flit between companies to climb the corporate ladder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
Today, bicycles and bright yellow three-wheeled "keke" taxis flit along paved streets or new highway flyovers direct traffic over packed roundabouts.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
Hargitay doesn’t flit between talking heads at warp speed to feed the viewer information, or overly rely on archival footage and old photos to make the film feel like a glorified Wikipedia deep dive.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2025
He saw a wizened witch flit out of the frame of her picture and into the one next to it, which contained a wizard with a walrus mustache.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Tech conglomerate SoftBank—a proxy for the AI trade—Advantest and Kioxia, to name a few, have oscillated sharply as market sentiment flits between euphoria over the technology’s long-term promise and pessimism over monetization and sky-high valuations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Her lack of glamour is in sharp contrast to Scherzinger’s Norma, who flits about like a vampire in a black slip dress.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024
A butterfly flits near his shoulder, to symbolize how, Yeo has stated, “the subject’s role in our public life has transformed.”
From Salon ● May 17, 2024
“The CEO’s attention flits onto something else, and they never systematize the change,” Sigelman said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
A look of horror flits across Jenna’s face.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Birmingham, Bolton and Norwich flitted between divisions for four successive seasons.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
In the months leading up to the U.S. and Israeli campaign, senior Arab officials say Araghchi flitted between openness, at times joining friendly dinners, and menacing by appearing to imply Iran might attack its neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026
Tech firms around Asia sank, though broader markets flitted between gains and losses.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
As the night closed, conversation abounded and ideas flitted in overheard snatches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025
His eyes flitted to one book sitting on the very edge of the table, small and opened up so that its pages seemed to soak in the morning sunlight.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Fireflies at dusk, flitting around outdoor gatherings as cousins trade jokes with a friendly, rough-and-tumble edge.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026
Matt said the highlight of the experience would be the blue morpho butterfly from central America, "with iridescent blue wings, darting and flitting" around the space.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Rates flitting back below 6% isn’t out of the question this year.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
The volume, produced in collaboration with the artist’s daughter Paloma, takes inspiration from the 1932 show, pairing objects in a manner that leaps between decades, styles and media to capture the artist’s flitting energies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
I guess I have to, thought Matt, turning to look one last time at the quiet meadow, the white plumes of bear grass, and the black-throated sparrows flitting through the trees.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
