Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flirt

/flɚt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.52 in modern English

Syllables
flirt
IPA
/flɚt/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion

noun

Someone who flirts a lot or enjoys flirting; a flirtatious person.

noun

An act of flirting.

noun

A tentative or brief, passing engagement with something.

noun

A brief shower (of rain or snow).

noun

Russula vesca, an edible woodland mushroom.

verb

To throw (something) with a jerk or sudden movement; to fling.

Transitive verb

verb

To jeer at; to mock.

Archaic; Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

1553, from the merger of Early Modern English flirt (“to flick”), flurt (“to mock, jibe, scorn”), and flirt, flurt (“a giddy girl”). Of obscure origin and relation. Apparently related to similar words in Germanic, all of apparently onomatopoeic origin, compare Low German flirt (“a flick of the fingers, a light blow”), Low German flirtje (“a giddy girl”), Low German flirtje (“a flirt”), German Flittchen (“a flirt; tart; hussy”), Norwegian flira (“to giggle, titter”). Compare also Early Modern English jillflirt, gillian flirt, and flirt-gill (“a flirt”), and Scots flird (“a trifling", also, "to jibe, jeer at, talk idly, flirt, flaunt”), which is perhaps from Middle English flerd (“mockery, fraud, deception”), from Old English fleard (“nonsense, vanity, folly, deception”); potentially related to Icelandic flærð (“trickiness, deceit”), Swedish flärd (“vanity, frivolity, flamboyance”), Dutch flard (“tatter, shred”). See flird.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /flɚt/
  • British English: /flɜːt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

flirts (plural) flirts (present, singular) flirting (participle, present) flirted (participle, past) flirted (past)

Derived Forms

beflirt cyberflirt flirtable flirtaholic flirtation flirtatious flirtatiously flirtee flirtini flirtish flirtishly flirtship

Phrases

promiscuous woman clit tease blue-baller cock tease flirt-gill micro-flirting

Frequently Paired Words

promiscuous woman courtship clit tease blue-baller cock tease cocktease cockteaser prickteaser

Synonyms

charm come on to coquet dally fool around gallivant get fresh hit on make a move on make an advance make eyes at play the field

Antonyms

belittle cockblock

Rhymes With

hurt shirt alert dirt insert skirt kurt dessert assert bert burt divert

Questions

How do you pronounce flirt?
The recorded pronunciation is /flɚt/.
What does flirt mean?
A sudden jerk; a quick throw or cast; a darting motion
Where does flirt come from?
1553, from the merger of Early Modern English flirt (“to flick”), flurt (“to mock, jibe, scorn”), and flirt, flurt (“a giddy girl”). Of obscure origin and relation. Apparently related to similar words in Germanic, all of apparently onomatopoeic origin, compare Low German flirt (“a flick of the fingers, a light blow”), Low German flirtje (“a giddy girl”), Low German flirtje (“a flirt”), German Flittchen (“a flirt; tart; hussy”), Norwegian flira (“to giggle, titter”). Compare also Early Modern English jillflirt, gillian flirt, and flirt-gill (“a flirt”), and Scots flird (“a trifling", also, "to jibe, jeer at, talk idly, flirt, flaunt”), which is perhaps from Middle English flerd (“mockery, fraud, deception”), from Old English fleard (“nonsense, vanity, folly, deception”); potentially related to Icelandic flærð (“trickiness, deceit”), Swedish flärd (“vanity, frivolity, flamboyance”), Dutch flard (“tatter, shred”). See flird.

How to pronounce flirt

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flirt”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/flɚt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “flirt”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “flirt” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.