flit

[ flit ]
See synonyms for: flitflittedflitting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),flit·ted, flit·ting.
  1. to move lightly and swiftly; fly, dart, or skim along: bees flitting from flower to flower.

  2. to flutter, as a bird.

  1. to pass quickly, as time: hours flitting by.

  2. Chiefly Scot. and North England.

    • to depart or die.

    • to change one's residence.

verb (used with object),flit·ted, flit·ting.
  1. Chiefly Scot. to remove; transfer; oust or dispossess.

noun
  1. a light, swift movement; flutter.

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

  1. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.

Origin of flit

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English flitten, from Old Norse flytja “to carry, convey,” Swedish flytta; see fleet2

synonym study For flit

1. See fly2.

Other words from flit

  • flit·ting·ly, adverb

Words Nearby flit

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flit in a sentence

  • She saw a dark shadow flit over Musa's face: was it as the ship's lantern swayed in the slow swell of the sea?

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • She saw a pained look flit over the countenance of the visitor, and administered the only panacea she possessed.

    Alone | Marion Harland
  • She profited by the moments indecision to flit swiftly out of the ghostly arcade toward the avenue.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for flit

flit

/ (flɪt) /


verbflits, flitting or flitted (intr)
  1. to move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

  2. to fly rapidly and lightly; flutter

  1. to pass quickly; fleet: a memory flitted into his mind

  2. Scot and Northern English dialect to move house

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

  4. an informal word for elope

noun
  1. the act or an instance of flitting

  2. slang, mainly US a male homosexual

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

Origin of flit

1
C12: from Old Norse flytja to carry

Derived forms of flit

  • flitter, noun

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