flit
part of speech
verb (flit, flits, flitted, flitting); noun (a flit — UK, Scotland)
meaning for a pupil
1) To flit is to move or fly quickly and lightly from one place to another, like a butterfly or a bird. tree →
2) If a thought or expression flits across your mind or face, it is there for a very short moment. tree →
3) (Scotland, northern England) To flit, or do a flit, is to move house; a «moonlight flit» is leaving secretly at night, often to avoid paying debts. tree →
sense in the lessons
In nature writing and poems, butterflies, bats and birds flit about. In stories, a smile flits across a face. A person who flits from one hobby to another never stays with one. Phrases: «flit about», «flit from… to…», «moonlight flit».
examples
- Flee ye, flit far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. (Prophets JER.49.30, JPS 1917) tree →
- Butterflies flitted between the flowers. tree →
- A bat flitted past the window. tree →
- A smile flitted across her face. tree →
- He flits from one hobby to another. tree →
- A strange thought flitted through my mind. tree →
- The family did a moonlight flit and left no address. tree →
- Gay colors were to be seen here, and a butterfly, too, was flitting by. tree →
note
Spelling: double t in flitted, flitting. Short, light, quick movement; compare «float» (slow) and «dart» (fast and sharp).
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «flit» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.