as in to flit
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
the birds flittered back and forth between the backyard feeder and the safety of the trees
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flitter
For the past few weeks, swarms of the diminutive insects have been seen flittering en masse through parks and backyards across the Bay Area.
—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Here’s a look at what’s been behind the market’s surprising strength:
What sets a stock’s price
Stock prices flitter up and down every second for myriad reasons, many of which no one can explain.
—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2026
But there was also a significant contingent from DR Congo, resplendent in light blue, their flags flittering in the afternoon breeze.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Acknowledging that the debt-forgiveness fairy isn’t flittering in the wings on graduation day calls for careful assessment of college plans, dreams, and reality.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Black and gold flags flitter in the wind in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, attached to homes with a Terrible Towel likely somewhere inside.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
10 Dec. 2025
His neuroses flitter around him like fireflies.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Too many famous names flitter in and out of Selected Letters to list them all, but here is a small sampling: John Cheever, Erica Jong, Roger Angell, Norman Mailer, Italo Calvino, George Plimpton, Karl Shapiro, Lorrie Moore, Cynthia Ozick, Tina Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Ian McEwan.
—
Adrienne Lafrance,
The Atlantic,
24 Oct. 2025
There might be a butterfly flittering about barren aspen trunks.
—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
26 May 2026
Here’s a look at what’s been behind the market’s surprising strength:
What sets a stock’s price
Stock prices flitter up and down every second for myriad reasons, many of which no one can explain.
—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2026
But there was also a significant contingent from DR Congo, resplendent in light blue, their flags flittering in the afternoon breeze.
—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Acknowledging that the debt-forgiveness fairy isn’t flittering in the wings on graduation day calls for careful assessment of college plans, dreams, and reality.
—
Boston Herald Editorial Staff,
Boston Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Black and gold flags flitter in the wind in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania, attached to homes with a Terrible Towel likely somewhere inside.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
10 Dec. 2025
His neuroses flitter around him like fireflies.
—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Too many famous names flitter in and out of Selected Letters to list them all, but here is a small sampling: John Cheever, Erica Jong, Roger Angell, Norman Mailer, Italo Calvino, George Plimpton, Karl Shapiro, Lorrie Moore, Cynthia Ozick, Tina Brown, Kurt Vonnegut, Ian McEwan.
—
Adrienne Lafrance,
The Atlantic,
24 Oct. 2025
There might be a butterfly flittering about barren aspen trunks.
—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flitter
Verb
-
The Spanish, who had at first just flitted along the coast in their galleons, had begun marching inland and overland from Mexico with crosses and soldiers and soldiers’ families.
-
Mosquitoes and moths flit around porch lights all night long.
Verb
-
This type dispenses altogether with nest-building and partnering and simply darts around squirting.
-
My eyes darted back and forth, trying to grasp the imposing silhouette in its entirety.
Verb
-
But Curls Ultra aren’t solely interested in resurrecting the mysticism of the past or indulging in the parties of the present, the occasional fluttering flute solo or boisterous sax line notwithstanding.
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Red, black and gold flags are flying from car bonnets and fluttering on balconies, especially on matchdays.
Cite this Entry
“Flitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flitter. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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