Adjacent Words

Flirt definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FLIRT, v.t. flurt. [This word evidently belongs to the root of L. floreo, or ploro, signifying to throw, and coinciding with blurt.]
1. To throw with a jerk or sudden effort or exertion. The boys flirt water in each other's faces. He flirted a glove or a handkerchief.
2. To toss or throw; to move suddenly; as, to flirt a fan.
FLIRT, v.i.
1. To jeer or gibe; to throw harsh or sarcastic words; to utter contemptuous language, with an air of disdain.
2. To run and dart about; to be moving hastily from place to place; to be unsteady or fluttering. The girls flirt about the room or the street.
FLIRT, n.
1. A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion.
In unfurling the fan are several little flirts and vibrations.
2. A young girl who moves hastily or frequently from place to place; a pert girl.
Several young flirts about town had a design to cast us out of the fashionable world.
FLIRT, a. Pert; wanton.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men [syn: coquette, flirt, vamp, vamper, minx, tease, prickteaser]
2: playful behavior intended to arouse sexual interest [syn: flirt, flirting, flirtation, coquetry, dalliance, toying] v
1: talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; "The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries"; "My husband never flirts with other women" [syn: chat up, flirt, dally, butterfly, coquet, coquette, romance, philander, mash]
2: behave carelessly or indifferently; "Play about with a young girl's affection" [syn: dally, toy, play, flirt]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1580 intransitive verb 1. to move erratically ; flit 2. a. to behave amorously without serious intent b. to show superficial or casual interest or liking <flirted with the idea>; also experiment <a novelist flirting with poetry> 3. to come close to reaching or experiencing something — used with with <flirting with disaster> <the temperature flirted with 100°> transitive verb 1. flick 2. to move in a jerky manner Synonyms: see trifle • flirtation noun • flirter noun • flirty adjective II. noun Date: circa 1590 1. an act or instance of flirting 2. a person who flirts

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. (usu. foll. by with) behave in a frivolously amorous or sexually enticing manner. 2 intr. (usu. foll. by with) a superficially interest oneself (with an idea etc.). b trifle (with danger etc.) (flirted with disgrace). 3 tr. wave or move (a fan, a bird's tail, etc.) briskly. 4 intr. & tr. move or cause to move with a jerk. --n. 1 a person who indulges in flirting. 2 a quick movement; a sudden jerk. Derivatives: flirtation n. flirtatious adj. flirtatiously adv. flirtatiousness n. flirty adj. (flirtier, flirtiest). Etymology: imit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flirt Flirt, v. i. 1. To run and dart about; to act with giddiness, or from a desire to attract notice; especially, to play the coquette; to play at courtship; to coquet; as, they flirt with the young men. 2. To utter contemptuous language, with an air of disdain; to jeer or gibe. [Obs.] --Beau. & Fl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flirt Flirt, n. 1. A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion; hence, a jeer. Several little flirts and vibrations. --Addison. With many a flirt and flutter. --E. A. Poe. 2. [Cf. LG. flirtje, G. flirtchen. See Flirt, v. t.] One who flirts; esp., a woman who acts with giddiness, or plays at courtship; a coquette; a pert girl. Several young flirts about town had a design to cast us out of the fashionable world. --Addison.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flirt Flirt, a. Pert; wanton. [Obs.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flirt Flirt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flirted; p. pr. & vb. n. Flirting.] [Cf. AS. fleard trifle, folly, fleardian to trifle.] 1. To throw with a jerk or quick effort; to fling suddenly; as, they flirt water in each other's faces; he flirted a glove, or a handkerchief. 2. To toss or throw about; to move playfully to and fro; as, to flirt a fan. 3. To jeer at; to treat with contempt; to mock. [Obs.] I am ashamed; I am scorned; I am flirted. --Beau. & Fl.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(flirts, flirting, flirted) 1. If you flirt with someone, you behave as if you are sexually attracted to them, in a playful or not very serious way. Dad's flirting with all the ladies, or they're all flirting with him, as usual... He flirts outrageously. V-RECIP: V with n, V (non-recip) • flirtation (flirtations) ...a professor who has a flirtation with a student... She was aware of his attempts at flirtation. N-VAR: oft N with n 2. Someone who is a flirt likes to flirt a lot. N-COUNT 3. If you flirt with the idea of something, you consider it but do not do anything about it. Di Pietro, 45, has been flirting with the idea of a political career. VERB: V with n • flirtation ...the party's brief flirtation with economic liberalism. N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Throw (with a jerk), toss, fling, pitch, hurl, chuck, shy. 2. Twirl, flutter, whirl, whisk. II. v. n. Coquet, philander, make love, make a show of love, affect to be in love, play at courtship. III. n. 1. Coquette, jilt. 2. Jerk, sudden fling.

Moby Thesaurus

Circe, Don Juan, Lorelei, Parthenope, Siren, Sunday painter, allure, amateur, bait, bait the hook, beak, blandish, bob, brush, bunt, cajole, captive, cast coquettish glances, catch, charmer, chuck, coax, conquest, consider, contemplate, coquet, coquette, dab, dabble, dabbler, dallier, dally, date, decoy, dilettante, draw, draw in, draw on, enchanter, enchantress, ensnare, entertain, entice, enticer, eye, femme fatale, fiddle, fiddle with, fiddle-faddle, fidget with, fillip, finger with, flick, flip, flirt with, flounce, fool, fool around, fool with, fribble, frivol, gallivant, give the come-on, gold digger, gold-dig, graze, hitch, honey, horse around, hussy, idle, inveigle, inveigler, jerk, jerk off, jig, jigger, jigget, jiggle, jog, joggle, kid around, lady-killer, lead on, loiter, look sweet upon, lounge lizard, lure, make eyes at, masher, mess around, minx, monkey, monkey around, offer bait to, ogle, pat, peck, pet, philander, philanderer, pick, piddle, piddler, play, play around, play with, playboy, pluck, potter, potterer, putter, putterer, rap, rope in, run around, seduce, seducer, seductress, sheik, siren, smatter, smatterer, snake, snap, snatch, start, steady, string, strumpet, suck in, sudden pull, sweet patootie, sweetheart, sweetie, tantalize, tap, tease, teaser, tempter, temptress, think about, think of, tickle, tinker, tip, touch, toy, toy with, trifle, trifle with, trifler, tweak, twiddle, twitch, vamp, vampire, whisk, whore, wolf, woo, wrench, yank, yerk