Flirt Once Meant a Quick Flick
To flirt is to behave playfully romantically. The word first meant a sharp sudden movement, which is why you can flirt with an idea.
To flirt is to behave in a playfully romantic way. The word began as a physical one, meaning to flick or dart suddenly, and that older sense explains why English lets you *flirt with an idea* or *flirt with disaster*: you approach something briefly and dart away without committing. Nothing romantic is implied. The noun *flirtation* covers the behaviour, and *flirtatious* the disposition.
- To behave playfully romantically. *They flirted all evening.*
- To consider briefly. *He flirted with the idea.*
- A person who flirts. *A terrible flirt.*
- Flirtation — the behaviour. *A brief flirtation.*
- Flirtatious — inclined to flirt. *A flirtatious manner.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | flirt | She flirts. |
| Past | flirted | They flirted. |
| Noun | flirt | An outrageous flirt. |
| Noun | flirtation | A flirtation. |
| Adjective | flirtatious | Flirtatious. |
- He flirted with everyone at the party.Romantic.
- The company flirted with bankruptcy.Figurative.
- She flirted with the idea of moving.Considering briefly.
Flirt with, in its non-romantic uses
- Flirt with an idea — consider it without committing
- Flirt with danger — take risks lightly
- Flirt with disaster — come close to catastrophe
- Flirt with relegation — in sport, hover near the drop
- All keep the original sense of darting close and away
Recorded from the 1500s meaning to flick or dart, probably imitative. The romantic sense developed by the 1700s.
Why can you flirt with an idea?
Because the word originally meant to dart towards something and away again, without committing.
Is flirt always romantic?
No. Flirting with danger, disaster or an idea has no romantic sense at all.