flirt
verb (used without object)
to court triflingly or act amorously without serious intentions; play at love; coquet.
had been flirting
-
past perfect progressiveof flirt.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
She was thinking about a bank teller who had been flirting with her spouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Pac-12 officials knew that Colorado, in particular, had been flirting with the Big 12.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
The veganism was for health reasons but it also fit with a philosophy that he had been flirting with: effective altruism.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2023
Mr. Haggis testified that he and Ms. Breest had been flirting at film industry events in the months before the encounter, interactions that she explained were just her “being nice.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
But if you had been flirting with Mary, that might account for it.
From The Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay
