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
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:
The contemporary costumes are unchanged as the actors flit between roles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Conversations are built on disagreement; distractable brains flit from one thought to a barely related other.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
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 ● Dec. 27, 2025
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
She leans forward with an expectant smile, though her eyes flit to the windows every few seconds.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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
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 ● Dec. 3, 2025
Jackson exudes an aura that flits with a kaleidoscopic exuberance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
Devaney said seeing audiences respond to more laid-back tempos and intimate lyrics has made him feel at home as he flits from country to country in Europe.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
My gaze flits from the sticks to the balls to the can of white powder on the side of the table.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Godwill Kukonki – Another player who has flitted between the under-18 and under-21 sides this season.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 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
Villaraigosa flitted around the racers’ VIP tent, spotted a bowl of fortune cookies and made a beeline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
My mind flitted back to a conversation I had with my physical therapist about modern love: Dating in L.A. has become monotonous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
If she said Immie had flitted off to Paris, he questioned her about where, precisely, Immie was staying.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
Come to think of it, thoughts are perhaps not unlike a murmuration of starlings, flitting and swooping and morphing with seemingly serendipitous activation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
He’s both movie-star hunky and action-star engrossing, flitting between these two deceptively binary ends without breaking a sweat.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026
Rates flitting back below 6% isn’t out of the question this year.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
Marty spends a whole week flitting between the ’80s and the ’50s, never fully absorbing what the differences between those decades mean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2025
And worse, somewhere, circling and flitting around that dread, was another awful feeling: nothing makes you feel more naked than someone identifying a desire you never knew you possessed.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
