flit

[ flit ]

/ flɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flit ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), flit·ted, flit·ting.

to move lightly and swiftly; fly, dart, or skim along: bees flitting from flower to flower.

to flutter, as a bird.

to pass quickly, as time: hours flitting by.

Chiefly Scot. and North England.

to depart or die.
to change one's residence.

verb (used with object), flit·ted, flit·ting.

Chiefly Scot. to remove; transfer; oust or dispossess.

noun

a light, swift movement; flutter.

Scot. and North England. a change of residence; instance of moving to a new address.

Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a male homosexual.

Nearby words

flirtable, flirtation, flirtatious, flirtatiously, flirty, flit, flit gun, flitch, flitch beam, flitchplate, flite

Origin of flit

1150–1200; Middle English flitten < Old Norse flytja to carry, convey, Swedish flytta. See fleet²

SYNONYMS FOR flit

1 See fly¹.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flit ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

flit·ting·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flitted

Lobbyist Lloyd Hand, a former aide to Lyndon Johnson, flitted from conversation to conversation.
Kissy-Face The Nation: Washington’s Power Elite Smooch Bob Schieffer|Lloyd Grove|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As she departed her glance just flitted over my face in disapproval.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He flitted around London wearing a ludicrous gas mask over his face…to disguise himself from paparazzi?
Justin Bieber’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week|Kevin Fallon|March 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One was the mind of the bomber, Humam al-Balawi, a man who flitted precariously between opposing camps.
How a Triple Agent Duped the CIA|The Daily Beast|June 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST

It was excusable, for the candle threw weird shadows around, which flitted about like phantoms playing at hide-and-seek.
The Argosy|Various
Bernice deftly amputated the other braid, paused for an instant, and then flitted swiftly and silently back to her own room.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
But already Larry had taken his leave, and she could see him as he flitted across the bog to catch her by some short cut.
Lord Kilgobbin|Charles Lever
But Gudel's pale face was obscured by a mocking though sweet face, which flitted between him and all else.
The Son of Monte Christo|Jules Lermina
On again, faster and faster, flitted the Gray Shadows in the waning of the day.
The Outcasts|W. A. Fraser

British Dictionary definitions for flitted

flit

/ (flɪt) /

verb flits, flitting or flitted (intr)

to move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

to fly rapidly and lightly; flutter

to pass quickly; fleeta memory flitted into his mind

Scot and Northern English dialect to move house

British informal to depart hurriedly and stealthily in order to avoid obligations

an informal word for elope

noun

the act or an instance of flitting

slang, mainly US a male homosexual

British informal a hurried and stealthy departure in order to avoid obligations (esp in the phrase do a flit)

See moonlight flit

Derived Forms

flitter, noun

Word Origin for flit

C12: from Old Norse flytja to carry

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