fleet

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 1

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

fleet

2 of 4

adjective

1

: swift in motion : nimble

2

: fleeting

fleetly adverb

fleetness noun

fleet

3 of 4

verb

ˈflēt 

fleeted; fleeting; fleets

intransitive verb

1

a

: to fade away : vanish

b

archaic : flow

2

[fleet entry 2] : to fly swiftly

clouds fleeting across the sky

3

obsolete : drift

transitive verb

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

… many young gentlemen … fleet the time carelessly …

—William Shakespeare

fleetness

4 of 4

noun (2)

fleet·​ness

plural -es

: the quality or state of being fleet

Synonyms of fleet

Noun (1)

• convoy
• armada
• caravan
• flotilla
• parade
• train

Adjective

• rapid
• brisk
• fast
• quick
• galloping
• swift
• flying

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of fleet in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Noun

In came a fleet of role players tasked with alleviating the burden Cade Cunningham has carried to generate all of Detroit’s offense. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026

Every Imax auditorium around the world is wired with microphones and image sensors that report back to Imax head-quarters, which monitors the entire fleet of screens around the clock. — Lane Brown, Vulture, 25 July 2026

Adjective

No word on fleet size or whether interested customers would be able to hail a vehicle right away. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 21 July 2026

Regulators slowed fleet expansion this spring after roughly 100 Apollo Go cars froze mid-route in Wuhan and the resulting autonomous traffic jam went viral on Chinese social media. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

Verb

Nobody really knew then how fleeting this feeling would be, the high of unexpected success, a sense that this was the cusp of a transformation — not Ryan, and certainly not Jets fans. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 27 May 2026

The question is whether an upstart league can convert massive but fleeting social media attention into a fencing fanbase. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Adjective

probably from fleet entry 3

Verb

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Phrases Containing fleet

• admiral of the fleet
• fleet admiral
• fleet-footed
• fleet of foot

Rhymes for fleet

• beat
• beet
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• eat
• feat
• feet
• greet
• heat

Kids Definition

fleet

1 of 2 noun

ˈflēt 

1

: a group of warships under one command

2

: a group of ships or vehicles that move together or are under one management

a fleet of taxis

a fishing fleet

fleet

2 of 2 adjective

: very swift

fleet of foot

fleetly adverb

fleetness noun