as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
bargain hunters at the flea market flitted from table to table like hummingbirds in a garden
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Recent Examples of flitting
Early mornings at Mukwa are quiet, with mist rising off the river and birds flitting along the river bank.
—
Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In the garden, bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies can be found flitting among the dazzling blooms.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
The report said the ultra wealthy are more mobile than ever, buying homes around the world and flitting from city to city more frequently.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Although the Marshallese players were mostly stone-faced, their eyes—briefly flitting over to the crowd and the many cameras that followed them onto the field—belied both their excitement and anxiety at the gravity of the moment.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
This commentary was not from a wonkish TikToker nor a network pundit but from TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, which published the images of Graham after a citizen vacationer noticed the senator flitting through the theme park and sent pictures.
—Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Chace Crawford catapulted to fame playing the scheming social butterflies flitting around Gossip Girl's Upper East Side.
—Rachel Desantis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Spring's warmth is settling in across southern Michigan, and hummingbirds will soon be flitting about the state.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Jacir wants to show a cross section of people’s responses to these events, but the result often feels like scattershot scenes from a longer miniseries, flitting from one character to another with little narrative thrust or cohesion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
In the garden, bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies can be found flitting among the dazzling blooms.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
The report said the ultra wealthy are more mobile than ever, buying homes around the world and flitting from city to city more frequently.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Although the Marshallese players were mostly stone-faced, their eyes—briefly flitting over to the crowd and the many cameras that followed them onto the field—belied both their excitement and anxiety at the gravity of the moment.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 21 Apr. 2026
This commentary was not from a wonkish TikToker nor a network pundit but from TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, which published the images of Graham after a citizen vacationer noticed the senator flitting through the theme park and sent pictures.
—Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2026
Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Chace Crawford catapulted to fame playing the scheming social butterflies flitting around Gossip Girl's Upper East Side.
—Rachel Desantis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
Spring's warmth is settling in across southern Michigan, and hummingbirds will soon be flitting about the state.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Mar. 2026
Jacir wants to show a cross section of people’s responses to these events, but the result often feels like scattershot scenes from a longer miniseries, flitting from one character to another with little narrative thrust or cohesion.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flitting
Verb
-
Like a vibrantly hued snake darting down the narrow branch of a tree, the collective of high-performance automobiles rapidly navigates the narrow, serpentine artery along the Northeastern Italian coast, a quicksilver-like tracing of the border between Il Bel Paese and Slovenia.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
11 May 2026
-
And so quickly darting into the air on seats supported by scaffolding is not an easy proposition for the mind to overcome.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Putting up a hummingbird feeder in your garden or on your balcony or porch is a way to entice these fast-fluttering birds to visit.—
Lauren David,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 May 2026
-
Elke and Alysia started seeing the big bugs fluttering around in late April, and as their numbers grew through early May, the native rainbows started keying in on them more and more.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid found the beat during the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday afternoon, dancing its way to an electric seven-minute standing ovation.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
-
Now that linear television is about as hip as dancing the Charleston, it’s sort of faded in relevance, but leave it to Bravo, which sometimes feels like the last cable channel standing, to turn it into a big deal.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flitting. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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