flit

[flit]

verb (used without object)

flitted, flitting 

1. to move lightly and swiftly; fly, dart, or skim along.

   bees flitting from flower to flower.

2. to flutter, as a bird.

3. to pass quickly, as time.

   hours flitting by.

4. Chiefly Scot. and North England.

   1. to depart or die.

   2. to change one's residence.

verb (used with object)

flitted, flitting 

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.

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

flit

/ flɪt /

verb

1. to move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart

2. to fly rapidly and lightly; flutter

3. to pass quickly; fleet

   a memory flitted into his mind

4. dialect,  to move house

5. informal,  to depart hurriedly and stealthily in order to avoid obligations

6. an informal word for elope

noun

1. the act or an instance of flitting

2. slang,  a male homosexual

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

4. See moonlight flit

Other Word Forms

• flittingly adverb
• flitter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of flit¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English flitten, from Old Norse flytja “to carry, convey,” Swedish flytta; fleet ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of flit¹

C12: from Old Norse flytja to carry

Synonym Study

See fly ².

Example Sentences

Also, monarch butterflies flit among the tall stands of narrow leaf milkweed, the plant their caterpillars require to survive.

From Los Angeles Times

Martha flitted around, advising people to bring sweaters for loved ones and letting them know the officers allowed in only one item of clothing for each detained person.

From Los Angeles Times

“I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Palacios said as she flitted about, making last-minute space adjustments to accommodate an expected 100 guests — almost double last year’s attendance.

From Los Angeles Times

At a stoplight, my gaze will magnetically travel north to the Santa Monica Mountains blanketed in a golden charred brown, and I travel back to hiking those trails, surrounded by sage, lavender and flitting bluebirds.

From Los Angeles Times

Hargitay doesn’t flit between talking heads at warp speed to feed the viewer information, or overly rely on archival footage and old photos to make the film feel like a glorified Wikipedia deep dive.

From Salon

Related Words

• dart 
• flicker 
• flitter 
• flutter 
• hover 
• skip 
• whiz 
• zip