flier

noun

fli·​er ˈflī(-ə)r 

variants or less commonly flyer

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.

Synonyms of flier

• gamble
• chance
• venture
• throw

Examples of flier in a Sentence

These birds are graceful fliers.

They distributed flyers announcing the concert throughout the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s also a chance that holiday or spring break fliers are not as familiar with the TSA rules, which can create a bottleneck of flustered passengers scrambling to take out their laptops right at the conveyor belt. —Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2026

That new space can join JetBlue’s recently opened BlueHouse, the brand’s first airport lounge that’s also hoping to woo top fliers. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2026

Understanding Thrips Thrips are not super-strong fliers and often are dispersed by the wind, says Bryant. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026

Oxygen masks and electronic anti-skid brakes were introduced in the nineteen-sixties, along with bird cannons at airports, to shoo off Canada geese and fellow-fliers. —Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing flier

• frequent-flier
• take a flier

Rhymes for flier

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flyer
• friar
• frier

Kids Definition

flier

noun

fli·​er

variants also flyer

ˈflī(-ə)r

1

: one that flies

especially : pilot entry 1 sense 3

2

: an undertaking (as in business) that involves much risk

3

: an advertising circular