flirt
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to give a sudden or brisk motion to; wave smartly, as a fan.
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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
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to deal playfully or carelessly (with something dangerous or serious); trifle
the motorcyclist flirted with death
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to think casually (about); toy (with)
to flirt with the idea of leaving
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(intr) to move jerkily; dart; flit
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(tr) to subject to a sudden swift motion; flick or toss
noun
Other Word Forms
- flirter noun
- flirtingly adverb
- flirty adjective
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
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.
The show garnered a massive international audience, and in that respect, flirted with progress.
From Salon
It’s been profoundly disorienting to hear mainstream commentators, including some who identify as liberals, flirting once again with the phrase “regime change,” as if they were late-night texting that seductive bad-boy ex they can’t resist.
From Salon
Some flirted only briefly with Ab Ex ideas before moving on.
She was a practiced, phenomenal flirt, “Now, Doctor—be candid!—am I not correct when I say you are an enigma past finding out? You know I am.”
From Literature
An avaricious, envious flirt on the undisguised lookout for something better, she is angry that John wouldn’t use slave labor to build their house.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
