flying

adjective fly·ing \ ˈflī-iŋ \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of flying

1 a : moving or capable of moving in the air

b : moving or made by moving rapidly

flying feet

a flying leap

c : very brief

2 : intended for ready movement or action

a flying squad car

3 : having stylized wings —used especially of livestock brand marks

4 : of or relating to the operation of aircraft

a flying club

5 : traversed or to be traversed (as in speed-record trials) after a running start

a flying kilometer

— with flying colors

: with complete or eminent success

See flying defined for English-language learners

See flying defined for kids

Examples of flying in a Sentence

a story about a flying car
a flying attempt at finishing the work

Recent Examples of flying from the Web

Although hawks and other large species migrate during the day, most small birds migrate at night to avoid predators and enjoy better flying conditions.

— erik stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Migration forecasts could help prevent wind turbines and buildings from killing millions of birds," 5 Apr. 2018
Issued this week, the patent may help Amazon grapple with how flying robots might interact with human bystanders and customers waiting on their doorsteps.

— hamza shaban, chicagotribune.com, "Amazon patents delivery drones that can react to people screaming and flailing," 23 Mar. 2018
Issued this week, the patent may help Amazon grapple with how flying robots might interact with human bystanders and customers waiting on their doorsteps.

— hamza shaban, chicagotribune.com, "Amazon patents delivery drones that can react to people screaming and flailing," 23 Mar. 2018
Issued this week, the patent may help Amazon grapple with how flying robots might interact with human bystanders and customers waiting on their doorsteps.

— washington post, latimes.com, "Amazon patents delivery drones that can react to people screaming and flailing," 22 Mar. 2018
For instance, most aircraft are supposed to carry enough spare fuel for 30 minutes of extra flying time in an emergency.

— The Economist, "Free as a birdPassenger drones are a better kind of flying car," 8 Mar. 2018
As technologies of flight evolve, so do the descriptions of unidentified flying objects.

— greg eghigian, Smithsonian, "How UFO Reports Change With the Technology of the Times," 2 Feb. 2018
Uber envisions a fleet of electric flying vehicles equipped with multiple rotors that could take off and land vertically and reach speeds of as much as 200 miles per hour.

— eoin o'carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, "18 bright ideas for 2018, from flying taxis to companion robots," 24 Dec. 2017
The video was posted not long after The New York Times reported the Defense Department had a secret program that had been investigating unidentified flying objects, run by a military intelligence official based in the Pentagon.

— mark price, charlotteobserver, "‘UFO footage’ on YouTube claims alien fleet hovered over eastern NC last week | Charlotte Observer," 22 Dec. 2017

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

First Known Use of flying

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

flying Synonyms

flying

noun

Definition of flying

1 : travel by air

2 : the operation of an aircraft or spacecraft

See flying defined for English-language learners

Examples of flying in a Sentence

had never had the slightest fear of flying

Recent Examples of flying from the Web

On the right shoulder: a backward American flag, the same way it's often depicted on military uniforms, to give the effect of a flag flying in the breeze.

— author: abigail hauslohner, Anchorage Daily News, "The allure of the AR-15: ‘I know I don’t need it,’ says one recent buyer, but that’s not the point," 9 Apr. 2018
On the right shoulder: a backward American flag, the same way it's often depicted on military uniforms, to give the effect of a flag flying in the breeze.

— abigail hauslohner, courant.com, "The allure of the AR-15: 'I know I don't need it,' says one recent buyer, but that's not the point," 9 Apr. 2018
Forget about the fact that Marcelo Silva likely should've seen red for his flying, reckless, two-footed challenge into Kei Kamara.

— avi creditor, SI.com, "The MLS XI, Week 6: Game-Changing VAR, Zlatan's Follow-Up, Orlando Pulls a Man United," 9 Apr. 2018
Madden is well-known as a television announcer whose fear of flying resulted in him using a motorhome to get from assignment to assignment.

— steve brand, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Eastlake's McFadden talks about why he returned to coaching," 29 Mar. 2018
Morris lives in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle and was shocked to see a Confederate flag flying off a flagpole right in front of her house.

— tim brown, OregonLive.com, "Seattle author tips off newspaper to Confederate flag flying in her neighborhood, turns out it's a Norwegian flag," 23 Feb. 2018
Suddenly there is a Confederate flag flying in front of a house in my Greenwood neighborhood.

— erik lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘Suddenly there is a Confederate flag flying’ in Seattle’s Greenwood area – well, not quite," 22 Feb. 2018
Suddenly there is a Confederate flag flying in front of a house in my Greenwood neighborhood.

— cady lang, Time, "Woman Assumes Olympics Fan Is Flying a Confederate Flag. It Was Norwegian.," 22 Feb. 2018
The big test is whether the Arctic visitor can catch live prey by itself, and the bird passed with flying colors, Wicker said.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Months after a daring rescue on a Louisville freeway, a snowy owl is about to be set free," 20 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of flying

1548

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

flying Synonyms

Synonyms

flight;

Related Words

aviation;

aeronautics;

ballooning, gliding, hang gliding, paragliding, skydiving, soaring;

FLYING Defined for English Language Learners

flying

adjective

Definition of flying for English Language Learners

: moving or able to move in the air

flying

noun

Definition of flying for English Language Learners

: the activity of traveling in an aircraft

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See words that rhyme with flying Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flying Nglish: Translation of flying for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flying for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flying

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flying

Definition of flying

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FLYING Defined for English Language Learners

flying

Definition of flying for English Language Learners

flying

Definition of flying for English Language Learners

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