fleet

verb

\ ˈflēt

fleeted; fleeting; fleets

Definition of fleet

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 obsolete : drift

2a archaic : flow

b : to fade away : vanish

3 [ 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

fleet

noun

Definition of fleet (Entry 2 of 3)

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

fleet

adjective

Definition of fleet (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : swift in motion : nimble

2 : fleeting

Other Words from fleet Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about fleet

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Choose the Right Synonym for fleet

Adjective

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

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

Noun

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

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Peace and acceptance are fleeting, anger and depression relentless. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Much deeper, weirder and more interesting than ‘Florida Man’," 7 June 2019 Like most pleasures, the perfect texture is fleeting. — Bee Wilson, WSJ, "Textures That Delight and Disgust," 21 Feb. 2019 Some bags are serious investments, and others are fleeting dalliances. — Tina Craig, Harper's BAZAAR, "How to Shop for Vintage Bags," 5 Aug. 2015 Fashion now moves at an unprecedented rate; the trend cycle is mind-bogglingly fast-paced, investors are demanding, and customer attention is fleeting. — Chavie Lieber, Vox, "The Calvin Klein brand hired big-name fashion designer Raf Simons to build relevancy. Now he’s out.," 27 Dec. 2018 Most high-school relationships are fleeting, burning bright for a few months before fizzling to their anti-climactic death. — Chloe Metzger, Marie Claire, "The Item I Wear to Death: My White Slip-On Keds," 3 Oct. 2018 Sidewalk chalk, like time or the availability of your fave Netflix series, is fleeting. — Marielle Wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The 5 Best Things to Do in L.A. This Weekend," 14 June 2018 Unfortunately, those moments are fleeting on Testing. — Andreas Hale, Billboard, "5 Things We Learned After Our First Listen to A$AP Rocky's 'Testing' Album," 25 May 2018 Even three years later, in the area where his truck was recovered, phone service is fleeting. — Jason Pohl, azcentral, "From missing to legally dead: The search for Sheriff's Office posse member Sam Grider," 12 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

His entire fleet of about 500 vehicles was on the road moving goods across the border. — Katia Dmitrieva, latimes.com, "Even after Trump pulled his tariff threat, trade pain is real in Laredo," 11 June 2019 But in advanced economies, the nuclear fleet is much older. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "IEA: Nuke retirements could lead to 4 billion metric tons of extra CO2 emissions," 28 May 2019 So Finney began designing a fleet of campers and trailers that could incorporate humans in the system as much as the space station did. — James Lynch, Popular Mechanics, "A NASA Architect Designed a Camper," 25 May 2019 The assumption is that the more miles a fleet has driven, the better the software must be. — Jon Porter, The Verge, "Uber manager raised concerns about self-driving program just days before fatal collision," 11 Dec. 2018 When that jet arrived in Kazan, its passengers were met by another fleet of black vehicles, which drove them at high speed directly into the Kazan Arena. — Tariq Panja, New York Times, "For FIFA Executives, World Cup Perks Survive a Scandal," 13 July 2018 Russia currently has 306 active-duty ships, while China has approximately 500 – including a massive fleet of nearly 300 small surface combatants. — Matt Sussis And Yingjie Gu, USA TODAY, "Navy’s planned shipbuilding spree overlooks looming sailor shortage," 29 June 2018 During the test, orders will be delivered by a fleet of autonomous vehicles. — Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati.com, "Kroger to test grocery deliveries with driverless cars," 28 June 2018 SpaceX successfully launched the first two test satellites this year and received unprecedented approval from the Federal Communications Commission to launch the entire fleet in the years ahead. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: SpaceX," 29 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Almost two decades later, fire-prone batteries stemming from fundamental design and systems-engineering mistakes prompted regulators in 2013 to temporarily ground Boeing’s flagship 787 Dreamliner fleet world-wide. — Andy Pasztor, WSJ, "Boeing Leadership Faces PR Hurdles After Lion Air Crash," 5 Dec. 2018 The mano-a-mano match race finals, in which one yacht might simply sail away from the other and on to victory, might not be as thrilling as fleet races, which have multiple boats jostling in tight quarters. — Luke O'brien, Town & Country, "Hot Pursuit," 1 Sep. 2013 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

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.