fly

adjective

flyer; flyest

1

chiefly African American English : impressively good, attractive, or stylish

The singer was spotted out and about … looking fly as ever in an all-black hooded outfit.

—Natalie Michie

… the Destiny's Child alum knew she was looking flyer than ever, stopping to pose for a few extra flirty photo opportunities as she arrived.

—McKenna Aiello

Mary J. [Blige] had a tough job following up on one of the flyest debut albums in the hip-hop nation. Instead of trying to outdo herself, she took her music to the next level …

—Gerald Dee

2

chiefly British : keen, artful

But Shakespeare never really fell foul of the secret police. He was too fly for that.

—Boris Johnson

Examples of fly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not to mention some of the flyest fashion ever seen on planet Earth. —Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026

Combining bouncy flows ripped off vintage Gucci tapes with the attitude of the flyest girl on the block, Bunna’s new-age futuristic Atlanta rap has the feel-good spirit of skipping rope at your neighborhood park. —Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2025

Here are some gems from some of the country’s flyest Black bartenders. —Essence, 9 Aug. 2025

The video follows the girl group strutting through the hallways of a Monster High-like school and locker room before dropping their flyest choreography to the song’s catchy chorus. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

probably from fly entry 1

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fly

• bee fly
• caddis fly
• crane fly
• dry fly
• face fly
• flesh fly
• fly agaric
• fly ash
• fly at
• fly ball
• fly blind
• fly-by-night
• fly-by-nighter
• fly-by-wire
• fly casting
• fly dope
• fly fish
• fly fisherman
• fly fishing
• fly front
• fly gallery
• fly high
• fly in the face of
• fly in the ointment
• fly in the teeth of
• fly into
• fly into a rage
• fly net
• fly off the handle
• fly off the rack
• fly-on-the-wall
• fly rod
• fly sheet
• fly-strike
• fly the coop
• fly whisk
• fruit fly
• fur fly
• go fly a kite
• harvest fly
• heel fly
• Hessian fly
• horn fly
• ichneumon fly
• lantern fly
• let fly
• Mediterranean fruit fly
• no-fly zone
• on the fly
• pigs might fly
• pop fly
• robber fly
• sac fly
• sacrifice fly
• sand fly
• scorpion fly
• Spanish fly
• sparks fly
• spotted lantern fly
• stable fly
• stone fly
• syrphid fly
• test-fly
• tsetse fly
• two-winged fly
• vinegar fly
• warble fly
• when pigs fly
• wouldn't hurt a fly

Rhymes for fly

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

fly

1 of 4 verb

ˈflī 

flew ˈflü  ; flown ˈflōn  ; flying

1

a

: to move in or pass through the air with wings

b

: to move through the air or with the wind

also : to move through outer space

c

: to float or cause to float, wave, or soar in the air

flags flying

fly a kite

2

: to take flight : flee

3

: to move or pass swiftly

time flies

4

a

: to operate or travel in an aircraft or spacecraft

b

: to journey over or through by flying

fly the Atlantic

c

: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft

fly

2 of 4 noun

plural flies

1

a

: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth

b

: the outer fabric of a tent with a double top

c

: the length of an extended flag

also : the loose end of a flag

2

: a baseball hit high into the air

fly

3 of 4 verb

flied; flying

: to hit a fly in baseball

fly

4 of 4 noun

plural flies

1

: a winged insect

2

: two-winged fly

especially : one (as a housefly) that is large and has a stout body in comparison with others (as a mosquito)

3

: a fishhook covered to look like an insect

Etymology

Old English flēogan "to move through the air, fly"

Old English flēoge "flying insect"

Medical Definition

fly

noun

ˈflī 

plural flies

1

: a winged insect

—usually used in combination

emerging mayflies

a large butterfly

2

a

: any dipteran fly

called also true fly, two-winged fly

b

: a large and stout-bodied dipteran fly (as a horsefly)