fleet

verb \ ˈflēt \

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: fleet in a Sentence

Definition of fleet

fleeted; fleeting; fleets

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : drift

2 a archaic : flow

b : to fade away : vanish

[³fleet]

: to fly swiftly

clouds fleeting across the sky

transitive verb

: to cause (time) to pass usually quickly or imperceptibly

many young gentlemen … fleet the time carelessly
—William Shakespeare

Recent Examples of fleet from the Web

Sometimes happiness can seem like fleeting moments, but this one has been staying in the same lane for a long time.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Blake Shelton Jokingly Calls Himself a Gwen Stefani 'Stalker' After Attending Her First 3 Las Vegas Shows," 3 July 2018
That respect has been hard won, but feels fleeting.

— deirdre fernandes, BostonGlobe.com, "An education in hope," 7 July 2018
Leaders from both groups cautioned that while the homelessness response cannot slow down amid an ongoing emergency, the way forward was unclear and glimpses of common ground were fleeting.

— the seattle times, OregonLive.com, "Seattle's head tax repeal leaves homeless crisis unresolved," 12 June 2018
Remembrance of those Washington woes quickly fleeted as the game wore on.

— tyler horka, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Final: Capitals Dominate in Game 3 Win Against Golden Knights," 2 June 2018
The film also isn’t concerned with his flaws, spending only fleeting moments on his ego and unkindness and choosing to focus almost entirely on his saintly qualities.

— kimber myers, latimes.com, "'Christian Audigier the Vif' doc on late fashion designer goes long on style, skimps on substance," 21 June 2018
The 6-foot-5 lefty had shown glimpses of greatness the previous two seasons by using his long limbs to hit the upper 80s with his fastball despite fleeting command.

— rich mayor, chicagotribune.com, "Maine East lefty Antoine Kelly embraces 'potential' after being drafted by San Diego Padres," 21 June 2018
Clothing collaborations — even the coolest ones — always feel like fleeting moments of fashion-brand cross-pollination.

— adam tschorn, latimes.com, "Levi's and celebrity stylist Karla Welch collaborate to celebrate '501 Day'," 17 May 2018
For the short-term, and while my grief prevents me from planning too far ahead, fleeting connections and temporary gratification bring me great comfort.

— anjali pinto, chicagotribune.com, "I was judged for having sex after my husband died, but I think he would have understood," 22 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fleet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fleet

Middle English fleten, from Old English flēotan; akin to Old High German fliozzan to float, Old English flōwan to flow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

fleet

noun

Definition of fleet

1 : a number of warships under a single command; specifically : an organization of ships and aircraft under the command of a flag officer

2 : group 2a; especially : a group (as of ships, planes, or trucks) operated under unified control

See fleet defined for English-language learners

See fleet defined for kids

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

He was the commander of the Pacific fleet.
The company has a large fleet of delivery trucks.

Recent Examples of fleet from the Web

And the firing of a Naval Strike Missile by Army troops demonstrates how land forces can deploy to coastlines or islands and deny thousands of square miles of surrounding ocean to enemy fleets.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China's Not Coming to America's Big Pacific War Games This Time," 28 June 2018
Scooters would be added to the Uber fleet alongside ride-sharing cars and bikes supplied by the bike-sharing startup Jump, which Uber acquired in April.

— shannon liao, The Verge, "Uber and Lyft confirm that they want to expand to offer electric scooters," 8 June 2018
Goodyear has been transitioning from its 1970s-era GZ model blimps to a new fleet of state-of-the-art blimps since 2014.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Goodyear's Wingfoot One to fly Tampa Bay AirFest (video)," 10 May 2018
Rental-car companies usually account for most of automakers’ sales to fleets, though the figures also include shipments to government and commercial customers.

— jamie butters, Bloomberg.com, "Fleet Sales May Help Explain Why Nissan Faltered, Fiat Chrysler Beat," 2 May 2018
Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines, is retiring the last of its Dash 8 turboprop planes this summer and switching to a fleet of all Embraer 145 jets.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "This airline is replacing older planes with modern jets for smoother Charlotte flights | Charlotte Observer," 19 Apr. 2018
Those two ships are under repair and the two ships in the latest budget will be additions to the fleet.

— brad lendon, CNN, "What the massive US military budget pays for," 28 Mar. 2018
In February, more than 18% of Toyota's new vehicle sales were to fleets.

— mark phelan, chicagotribune.com, "If the 2018 Honda Accord is so good, why isn't it selling?," 20 Mar. 2018
The US Navy welcoming its newest attack submarine to the fleet.

— Fox News, "Rep. Kevin McCarthy reacts to DOJ decision to fire McCabe," 17 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of fleet

Middle English flete, from Old English flēot ship, from flēotan

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fleet Synonyms

Synonyms

armada, caravan, cavalcade, line, motorcade, train;

Related Words

argosy, convoy, flotilla, navy;

column, cortege (also cortège), parade, procession;

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

fleet

adjective

Definition of fleet

1 : swift in motion : nimble

2 : fleeting

—

fleetly

adverb

—

fleetness

noun

See fleet defined for English-language learners

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

a jewel thief said to be light of heart and fleet of foot

Recent Examples of fleet from the Web

As its fleet ages, RTA seeks federal money for new buses, paratransit vehicles The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority has lost out on a nearly $20 million federal grant to help boost its bus fleet, according to the agency's manager, Transdev.

— marie simoneaux, NOLA.com, "S&WB says drainage system performed 'very well' Saturday, full assessment coming," 14 Apr. 2018
Several girls cross country teams from the area are in the running for regional and state championships but locals are chasing Northern Kentucky's fleetest afoot: St. Henry in Class A, Highlands in Class 2A and Class 3A's Simon Kenton.

— marc hardin, Cincinnati.com, "St. Henry, Highlands, SK girls cross country the teams to chase in NKY," 25 Aug. 2017
While Onyewu and Elliott aren't the fleetest of foot, both are rarely out of position.

— marc narducci, Philly.com, "Union's five-game unbeaten surge built on key position changes," 19 May 2017
Yokosuka is one of the most important military ports in the Pacific, home to both the U.S. 7th Fleet and the fleet headquarters of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces, Japan's navy.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Two U.S. Aircraft Carriers Are Now Prowling the Pacific," 17 May 2017
Steve Kudla is probably known as the fleetest flavorist around McCormick and Company after his performance in a 5K race last Saturday.

— bill blewett, The Aegis, "Steve Kudla loves running and Old Bay," 25 May 2017
In fast and fleet fashion, Pohjonen zipped through the outer movements, producing a good deal of color and subtly underlining the score's jazz elements.

— tim smith, baltimoresun.com, "Atmosphere, virtuosity in BSO program with Markus Stenz, Juho Pohjonen," 5 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of fleet

probably from ¹fleet

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1529

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fleet Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of fleet

fast, rapid, swift, fleet, quick, speedy, hasty, expeditious mean moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity. fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves

- fast horses

and rapid to the movement itself.

- rapid current

swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.

- returned the ball with one swift stroke

fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.

- fleet runners

quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.

- a quick wit

speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment

- speedy delivery of mail

and may also suggest unusual velocity. hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.

- a hasty inspection

expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.

- the expeditious handling of an order

FLEET Defined for English Language Learners

fleet

noun

Definition of fleet for English Language Learners

: a group of military ships that are controlled by one leader
: all of a country's military ships
: a group of ships or vehicles that move or work together or that are controlled or owned by one company

fleet

adjective

Definition of fleet for English Language Learners

: very fast

FLEET Defined for Kids

fleet

noun \ ˈflēt \

Definition of fleet for Students

1 : a group of warships under one commander

2 : a country's navy

3 : a group of ships or vehicles that move together or are owned by one company

a fishing fleet

a fleet of taxis

fleet

adjective

Definition of fleet for Students

fleeter; fleetest

: very swift

a fleet runner

—

fleetly

adverb

ran fleetly

Learn More about fleet

See words that rhyme with fleet Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fleet Spanish Central: Translation of fleet Nglish: Translation of fleet for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fleet for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fleet

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fleet

Definition of fleet

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Origin and Etymology of fleet

fleet

Definition of fleet

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Origin and Etymology of fleet

fleet Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Military Terms

fleet

Definition of fleet

fleetly

fleetness

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fleet from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fleet

fleet Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

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FLEET Defined for English Language Learners

fleet

Definition of fleet for English Language Learners

fleet

Definition of fleet for English Language Learners

FLEET Defined for Kids

fleet

Definition of fleet for Students

fleet

Definition of fleet for Students

fleetly

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