flier

play

noun fli·er \ ˈflī(-ə)r \

variants: or less commonly flyer

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

Demonstrators from Westboro Baptist Church plan to gather in front of the school Wednesday, Sept. 6, according to a flier posted on the church's website.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "Westboro Baptist Church to protest Oak Hills Gay Straight Alliance," 28 Aug. 2017
Southwest had the most among major carriers with 2,642 bumpings, or 64 per million fliers.

— alan levin, Bloomberg.com, "Passenger Bumping by U.S. Airlines Drops After Dragging Case," 8 Aug. 2017
Along with other features, this anatomical detail linked the sparrow-sized Tsidiiyazhi with mousebirds – a group of dusky fliers that still live in Africa today.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "A Fossil Bird in the Hand...," 2 Aug. 2017
The Saraland school system is also repeatedly included among the state's academic high-fliers.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Will Gulf Shores form a city school? A long process begins Monday," 30 July 2017
According to a flier from the American Civil Liberties Union, Border Patrol has the authority to stop vehicles at checkpoints and ask questions to verify citizenship.

— kate morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego teacher refuses to answer Border Patrol questions at checkpoint," 24 July 2017
That's a big change from other recent viral incidents in which fliers clashed with airline staff, most notably the passenger who was dragged off a United Airlines flight earlier this year.

— The Hive, "Amazon’s Secret Weapon in the Video-Streaming Wars," 18 July 2017
Also complicating those calls is the simple fact that for many leisure fliers, price is paramount.

— micah maidenberg, New York Times, "United Airlines Profit Rises Despite Boycott Threats Over Passenger Treatment," 18 July 2017
A flier posted online promoting an adult-entertainment event that had been scheduled for July 15 at the Underground Lounge.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "Canceled adult entertainment event raises questions and anger," 14 July 2017

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

flier Synonyms

Synonyms

adventure, chance, crapshoot, enterprise, gamble (also flyer), flutter [chiefly British], speculation, throw, venture

Antonyms

sure thing

Related Words

bet, hazard, stake, wager; liberty; dark horse, long shot, play

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

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

FLIER Defined for English Language Learners

flier

play

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