fleet

verb \ ˈflēt \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 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

Chances were fleeting for saving the series, which performed well in USA TODAY's Save Our Shows poll.

— gary levin, USA TODAY, "NBC rescues 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' one day after Fox canceled it," 12 May 2018
The costs of the monarchy are considerable; the gains fleeting, mythical or the stuff of PR fantasies.

— graham smith, Time, "Harry and Meghan's Wedding Is a Reminder That Britain Doesn't Need the Royals," 18 May 2018
And the economic value of some user information can be fleeting: News Corp. bought the social networking site MySpace for $580 million in 2005, only to sell it for $35 million six years later.

— michael birnbaum, Washington Post, "Europe’s antitrust cop, Margrethe Vestager, has Facebook and Google in her crosshairs," 12 May 2018
The work is also creating a historical record of Earth’s fleeting biodiversity.

— michael stone, Discover Magazine, "The Animal Collective," 9 May 2018
But with Trump's inauguration looming, supporters of the monuments knew the victory might be fleeting.

— author: david gelles, Anchorage Daily News, "Patagonia v. Trump: Inside a battle over public lands," 6 May 2018
And a lucky glimpse of their bushy tail skimming over cactuses and creosote bushes is fleeting.

— alex devoid, azcentral, "Back from the brink, the Sonoran pronghorn now roam an increasingly political landscape," 27 Mar. 2018
As with many hobbies, getting off on the right start is all-important, and can make the difference between fleeting interest or a potential lifelong passion.

— don melanson, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Telescopes to Get Started in Stargazing," 14 Feb. 2017
Denis’s foray into the often-goofy world of the rom-com is at once a cold bath of realism and a bewitching portrait of the power of love—however fleeting that feeling may be.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Let the Sunshine In Is a Very French Romantic Comedy," 29 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

Another partner, Ficosa, will supply C-V2X onboard devices to an existing Colorado transportation authority fleet of Ford utility vehicles.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Qualcomm teams with Ford, Panasonic to test connected car technology in Colorado," 1 June 2018
The Rplates debuted this month on cars in Sacramento, including the city’s new electric fleet of 24 Chevrolet Bolts.

— rachel swan, SFChronicle.com, "California’s digital license plates: road to convenience or invasion of privacy?," 31 May 2018
Both sides have hired fleets of lobbyists and PR specialists to advance their cases in Washington.

— ellen nakashima, Washington Post, "Prominent Republican expands lawsuit against Qatar," 24 May 2018
Street droids will make house calls for mail, groceries, and supplies, while fleets of flying drones handle bigger orders.

— alex davies, WIRED, "Lots of Lobbies and Zero Zombies: How Self-Driving Cars Will Reshape Cities," 21 May 2018
Two years later it would be commissioned and enter the U.S. Navy's fleet of fighting vessels.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Happy 'berth' day to the Battleship Texas, one of the Houston area's most beloved attractions," 17 May 2018
As of November 2016, Tesla’s fleet of vehicles on the road had driven 1.3 billion miles using Autopilot.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Elon Musk says Tesla crashes shouldn’t be front-page news because there are more human-driven fatalities. That's not an accurate comparison.," 17 May 2018
The course did, however, get an entire fleet of brand new golf carts in Feburary.

— brent kennedy, baltimoresun.com, "The Woodlands Golf Course," 11 May 2018
Boeing and Airbus will lose contracts worth roughly $39 billion to replenish Iran's aging fleet of commercial planes as part of the Trump administration's reimposition of sanctions.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Boeing to lose deals with Trump's Iran sanctions," 8 May 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

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fleet from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fleet

fleet Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

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

Related Words

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Phrases Related to FLEET

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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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