flies 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of fly
1
as in hovers
to move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings the Wright brothers realized mankind's age-old wish to fly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
3
4
5
6
as in passes
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval the familiar "Because I said so!" is a reason that won't fly with most teenagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

flies

2 of 2

noun

plural of fly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flies
Verb
Onward to Alaska … Rocket Lab currently flies from two different launch sites—one on the North Island of company founder and chief executive Peter Beck’s native New Zealand and one at Wallops Island in Virginia. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2026 Flight 2482 is a round-trip route that often flies back and forth between Chicago and Phoenix. ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026 The team flies out on Thursday, but getting to this point has been a whirlwind. Briseida Holguin, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Space enthusiasts have been following the thrilling saga ever since the 171-foot tall section of the rocket that flies in space, known as the upper stage, landed intact in the Indian Ocean. Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026 Next, an autonomous drone retrieves the order and flies to the patient's address. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Rocket Lab currently flies from two different launch sites — one on the North Island of company founder and CEO Peter Beck's native New Zealand and one at Wallops Island in Virginia. Mike Wall, Space.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Garbage cans can be smelly and gross, but flies love them thanks to their rotting food and stinky smells. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, a team quietly burning tokens on work that moves nothing flies under the radar. Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flies
Verb
  • As the Kimballs attempt to raise a ransom to get back their son, Gillian Anderson enters as a fixer, while Steven Yeun hovers as the political candidate’s campaign manager.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Okemo hovers just above Ludlow center, in the winter outlines of trails stand out clear and white.
    Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 2 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • This sleek wrap dress and skort is great for hot-weather escapes.
    Mariette Williams, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Facilities must notify the state of significant incidents — including serious injuries to youth, escapes or restraint use — within 24 hours.
    Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Inside Botánica Santo Tomas in Wilton Manors, store owner Héctor Giovanni Pizarro Santana sweeps the floor as his tiny Chihuahua, Bella, scurries behind him.
    Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent scurries the great halls, desperate to shore up support for her plan to hand Rhaenyra the Red Keep.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • At the end of the 2001 film, Rodriguez’s Letty flees the country.
    Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Holden eagerly rebels against Pencey Prep, gets the boot, and flees to New York City, a place with its own vices and hazards, but without the sort of propaganda and pretense that obscure the school’s dark underside.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • If consumers are inclined to believe a company behaved badly, the distinction between firing and non-renewal disappears.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Below me a narrow path winds through muddy rice paddies like a snake and disappears into a horizon blanketed by dense fog.
    Marisol Delarosa, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • If the legislation passes and is signed by the governor, a vehicle's decibel level would have to remain within the limits established when the vehicle was originally purchased.
    Terell Bailey, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Multitasking was the order of the day Saturday with Bears-Browns, Cubs-Cardinals and White Sox-Tigers games all competing for Chicago's eyeballs on screens of all sizes.
    Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The ride is expected to rely heavily on 3D effects and high-definition screens, but Strong made clear that there will indeed be large-scale physical sets on the ride.
    Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • This news soon wings its way to Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the magazine’s publisher, who hires her to be Runway’s features editor.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Flies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flies. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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