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
Relevance
2
as in escapes
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
you must fly to safety immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scurries
to proceed or move quickly
flew down the concourse to catch his flight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in flees
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
no one in the movies ever thinks to fly from the ax murderer and immediately call the police
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disappears
to cease to be visible
the morning mist had flown, and a sparkling sea lay before us
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of flies
Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
But while the finance jargon flies way, way over my head, the depth of the characters is what makes the show special.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
WestJet has between one and two flights daily and flies to Calgary year-round and to Vancouver during the summer season.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
As a travel writer who flies once a month, my trusty hack for looking fashionable without any fuss on busy travel days is a pair of comfy pants.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Across the canyon, flames leapt up the Paseo Miramar trail, still two miles away as the crow flies, but already too close to ignore.
—Jonathan Taplin, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
Skye, the 7-year-old Cockapoo is the team’s air rescue pup and flies a helicopter.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
The ball flies through the air, the buzzer sounds and the ball sinks through the net.
—Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Verb
One area that flies under the AI radar of most consumers is the processing of audio content.
—Karl Freund, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
No one confuses kilowatt-hours with productivity, yet no serious economy flies blind without tracking them.
—Noosheen Hashemi, Time, 26 Jan. 2026
But while the finance jargon flies way, way over my head, the depth of the characters is what makes the show special.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026
WestJet has between one and two flights daily and flies to Calgary year-round and to Vancouver during the summer season.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Jan. 2026
As a travel writer who flies once a month, my trusty hack for looking fashionable without any fuss on busy travel days is a pair of comfy pants.
—Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 15 Jan. 2026
Across the canyon, flames leapt up the Paseo Miramar trail, still two miles away as the crow flies, but already too close to ignore.
—Jonathan Taplin, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
Skye, the 7-year-old Cockapoo is the team’s air rescue pup and flies a helicopter.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 7 Jan. 2026
The ball flies through the air, the buzzer sounds and the ball sinks through the net.
—Jesse Wright, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flies
Verb
-
Chicago's waste diversion rate – the amount of garbage being recycled instead of dumped in landfills – hovers around 10%.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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And the upside to cheaper cars becomes harder to ignore as the average sticker price for a new car in America hovers around a staggering $50,000.—
Patrick George,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Unlike nitrogen, which easily escapes from soil into the air or groundwater, phosphorus sticks to soil particles.—
Dinesh Phuyal,
The Conversation,
26 Jan. 2026
-
When air leaks through that shell, heated or cooled air escapes, and the HVAC system has to work harder to keep up.—
Brynn Cooksey,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The hand then detaches from the arm and scurries forward towards a bannana, flips it upward and secures it on its backside using a single finger.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Jackson scurries 14 yards up the middle for a first down.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
An alien known only as Experiment 626 (Chris Sanders) flees his home planet and crash-lands in Hawaii, where he is adopted by a grieving young girl named Lilo (Daveigh Chase), who takes him for a dog and dubs him Stitch.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
27 Jan. 2026
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Jimmy flees and Bundle chases him through the train.—
Keith Langston,
PEOPLE,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As of February 25, 2026, that right disappears as the Home Office enforces new rules of entry.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
In Weapons, from writer-director Zach Cregger, a small town is thrown into paranoia and terror when an entire classroom of children mysteriously disappears on the same night.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The play had Gwath inbounding on the far sideline to BJ Davis, who passes to Miles Byrd at the top of the key.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The morning drive host on 680 The Fan caught passes from Ryan for three years.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Investing in staff training, interactive screens with additional product information and intuitive layouts will help shoppers navigate these wellness aisles and engage with potentially new brands and concepts, such as The Nue Co’s functional fragrances.—
Clara Ludmir,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Nagahisa and regular cinematographer Hiroaki Takeda capture these traumatic moments as frames within frames — doorways, mirrors, and corners as small windows seen at a distance — vertical rectangles like phone screens.—
Blake Simons,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bublak says that the decision leaves cities shouldering more responsibility with fewer tools.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2026
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With a hungry ghost and a series of crippling self-esteem issues in tow, Saccharine leaves a lot for audiences to stomach.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flies. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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