flirt
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flirted,
past participle, past
-
flirting
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
flirts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flirted,
past participle, past
-
flirting
present participle
-
to give a sudden or brisk motion to; wave smartly, as a fan.
-
to throw or propel with a toss or jerk; fling suddenly.
verb
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(intr) to behave or act amorously without emotional commitment; toy or play with another's affections; dally
-
to deal playfully or carelessly (with something dangerous or serious); trifle
the motorcyclist flirted with death
-
to think casually (about); toy (with)
to flirt with the idea of leaving
-
(intr) to move jerkily; dart; flit
-
(tr) to subject to a sudden swift motion; flick or toss
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
flirtsimple
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flirtssimple
-
have flirtedperfect
-
has flirtedperfect
-
am flirtingprogressive
-
are flirtingprogressive
-
is flirtingprogressive
-
have been flirtingperfect progressive
-
has been flirtingperfect progressive
Past
-
flirtedsimple
-
had flirtedperfect
-
was flirtingprogressive
-
were flirtingprogressive
-
had been flirtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flirt
First recorded in 1540–50; of expressive origin; compare similar initial cluster in flap, flick 1, flip 1 and final elements of squirt, spurt
Explanation
If you're interested in someone romantically, you might flirt with them, which means to chat them up or tease them in a playful way. Flirting is an indirect and fun way to let your crush know you're interested, like a seductive line or a few coy words. Or if there's a girl you've had your eye on, you might make a point of walking by her desk and saying hello every morning. But even if you don't have a love interest, you can still flirt. Driving carelessly is flirting with disaster: it's almost like you're toying with the idea of getting into an accident.
Vocabulary lists containing flirt
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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:
Once everyone is locked in, COs get to lounge around inside the bubble: eat, drink coffee, flirt with each other, complain, maybe nap until they have to perform the 10:30 p.m. count.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
"We expect the Fed to hold through year end even as futures markets flirt with pricing in a hike," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
When I sit down to meal plan, I open my grocery list in one tab and my supermarket’s app in another and let them flirt with each other for a few minutes.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
“They should go out and flirt with all this slop,” Chief Executive Alex Karp said about companies that are shopping for AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
A lively debate arises over whether the number eight is shy or a flirt.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
That is despite warnings that it has morphed from a Eurosceptic party, founded in 2013, into one that flirts with, or attracts, extremist support.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
America flirts with it and folds, every single cycle.
From Slate ● Jun. 6, 2026
Stocks are set to continue their selloff as oil flirts with the $100-a-barrel level.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026
Though her film flirts with surrealism, Bronstein carefully maintains a sense of truth as Linda scrapes past a never-ending pile of obstacles, trying to claw her way free before she’s buried alive.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2025
He hates it when she flirts with others.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Only one-third of stocks in the S&P 500 index were trading above their 50-day moving average as of Friday, even as the benchmark flirted with an all-time high.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
As I moved from darkened room to darkened room, ridiculed in one, flirted with in another, a thread of finding one’s own personal paradise in a hellscape began to emerge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Showing her aching vulnerability, it's about a bank clerk with flaming locks of auburn hair who flirted with her husband.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Throughout my career, I’ve always flirted with the genre,” Peluso said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
In high school I flirted with the idea that I might be a philosophical genius.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
After weeks of heavy selling the yield on 10-year government bonds is now flirting with the psychological threshold of five percent, a level not seen since 2002.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Papa Pope’s harsh words were meant to prepare his daughter for the risks inherent to flirting with power.
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
And, with this year’s Angels flirting with the first 100-loss season in franchise history, are the Angels going to be much better next year?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
She also accused him of "belittling" her with jibes about her weight and age, and accused her of flirting with other men.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Victoria flirting with some big muscular dude wearing a Yankees jersey, who looked to be Francesca’s cousin.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
