flier

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

Overall, however, a majority of fliers prefer the window.

— talia avakian, PEOPLE.com, "Picking This Seat on a Flight Means You’re Selfish, Psychologists Say," 30 Oct. 2017
The interstate collaboration played a big part in landing long-coveted, flier-fave Southwest Airlines this year.

— jason williams, Cincinnati.com, "PX: Northern Kentucky soccer stadium could help region get over us vs. them," 5 Oct. 2017
The dispute is similar to one last year between pilots and Air Transport Services Group Inc., another cargo flier that works closely with Amazon.

— paul page, WSJ, "Today’s Top Supply Chain and Logistics News From WSJ," 26 Sep. 2017
Both airlines are offering frequent flier miles in exchange for donations to Harvey relief.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Frequent flier miles being used for Hurricane Harvey relief," 31 Aug. 2017
The SpaceX itinerary suggests the trip will last about a week and cover as much as 400,000 miles, giving new meaning to the concept of frequent flier miles.

— National Geographic, "SpaceX Plans to Send People to the Moon in 2018—Get the Facts," 28 Feb. 2017
Earlier this year hateful fliers printed with swastikas were circulated as retribution in an apparent feud between neighbors.

— max londberg, kansascity, "Greenwood is safest city in Missouri, report using FBI data finds | The Kansas City Star," 3 Nov. 2017
Central to its showcasing of local art is its advertising and branding created by John G. His colorful fliers for the sandwich of the month have become an instantly recognizable part of the restaurant.

— cleveland.com, "45 things to do in Cleveland this Halloween 2017 weekend," 26 Oct. 2017
According to fliers posted around the venue, performances and DJ sets were scheduled to go through 3 AM.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Alexander Wang Threw A Wild #WANGFEST In Brooklyn For Spring 2018," 10 Sep. 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

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