flier

noun fli·er \ ˈflī(-ə)r \

variants: or less commonly flyer

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: flier in a Sentence

Definition of flier

1 : one that flies

She's a frequent flier on that airline.

; specifically : airman

He was a flier on an aircraft carrier.

2 : a reckless or speculative venture —usually used in the phrase take a flier

He took a flier in politics soon after getting his degree.

3 usually flyer : an advertising circular

Flyers announcing the concert were distributed throughout the city.

See flier defined for English-language learners

See flier defined for kids

Examples of flier in a Sentence

These birds are graceful fliers.
They distributed flyers announcing the concert throughout the city.

Recent Examples of flier from the Web

The flier, which Stafford said supporters of the super PAC had generated on a volunteer basis, mentions, among other things, a class-action lawsuit against a company Blair had once headed.

— jennifer barrios, Washington Post, "Attack ad compares Montgomery executive hopeful David Blair to Trump," 30 May 2018
The airport’s two checkpoints each have capacities of about 2,200 passengers an hour, which varies with types of fliers, whether business, international or family.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Orlando International Airport tops for bomb dogs," 13 Apr. 2018
At one point, the park issued fliers cautioning tourists to not desecrate the world's largest religious monument, the Phnom Penh Post reported.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "Westerners accused of 'singing and dancing pornographically' could face prison in Cambodia," 29 Jan. 2018
Notably, the tickets advertised by the Chinese flier were three times more expensive than those selling to U.S. donors for Trump’s Dallas event.

— Fortune, "A Chinese State Bank Offered Dinner With Trump for $150,000. The Trump Campaign Was Not Amused," 18 May 2018
In the days since Vanner's disappearance, Williams said their family has been in contact with a Detroit police detective, sought out a private investigator, posted fliers and visited locations she's been known to frequent.

— aleanna siacon, Detroit Free Press, "Family: Detroit woman vanishes after ride to store, $10,000 reward offered," 15 May 2018
That means your mailbox will be crammed with more fliers, and the airwaves and internet will be clogged with ads.

— christina bellantoni, latimes.com, "California's primary election starts now," 7 May 2018
South Koreans have been known to fly balloons north filled with rice, fliers and thumb drives to expose North Koreans to information from the outside world.

— joshua berlinger, CNN, "South Korea begins dismantling loudspeakers along border with North," 1 May 2018
Lopez is also working on updating some of Glastonbury Human Services Department's fliers and webpages to also include Spanish.

— steve smith, Courant Community, "Meet New Social Worker Evelyn Lopez," 27 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of flier

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

flier Synonyms

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

FLIER Defined for English Language Learners

flier

noun

Definition of flier for English Language Learners

: a person or animal that flies
: a piece of paper that has something printed on it (such as an advertisement or an announcement) and that is given to many people