1
as in to hover
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
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
you must fly to safety immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to travel
to proceed or move quickly
flew down the concourse to catch his flight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to flee
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 to disappear
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 to pass
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
the familiar "Because I said so!" is a reason that won't fly with most teenagers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fly
Dhani Joseph, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
Those who could not get inside, live in mobile homes or were in a car were advised to move to the nearest substantial shelter to protect themselves from flying debris.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fly
Verb
But maybe more importantly, the Angels are giving him room to make mistakes and learn on the fly.
—Dhani Joseph, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
Noun
American Airlines flies directly from Miami to Beef Island.
—Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2025
Those who could not get inside, live in mobile homes or were in a car were advised to move to the nearest substantial shelter to protect themselves from flying debris.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 6 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for fly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fly
Verb
-
Gas prices are hovering near their lowest summer level in four years as millions of people ready themselves to hit the roads over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
3 July 2025
-
As the afternoon progresses, chances of rain drop from 36% to 15%, and in the evening, hover around 10% with a low temperature of 66 degrees.—
Audrey Gibbs,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
Police on Friday captured one of the New Orleans parish inmates who escaped six weeks ago in a jailbreak Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the worst in recent state history.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
-
In such places, summer becomes a never-ending fantasy, a pleasure dome that characters cannot escape.—
Erik Morse,
Vogue,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Portnoy recalls traveling with her husband to four different medical institutions after a year of misdiagnosis.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
-
Drivers who only plan on traveling for short distances in extreme temperatures may not need to be concerned.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Simmons is then accused of carjacking a vehicle from someone who was at the medical facility and fleeing the scene.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
-
The brothers ran, but Brown was fatally wounded, and witnesses described seeing a pickup truck fleeing the scene.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
While the boldest headlines tell how people are literally snatched off the streets, are being disappeared to foreign prisons, news that often receives less attention reveals that our civil liberties are also being snatched up, one by one.—
Michael Pfleger,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
-
The man formerly known as Robert Prevost has somewhat disappeared ...—
Michael Brendan Dougherty,
National Review,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
The Atlantic storms list for 2025, for instance, specifies that Andrea and Barry are next in line, the same names of storms that last passed through the Atlantic in 2019.—
Tom Brown,
Space.com,
29 June 2025
-
Wine and beer are complimentary at lunch and dinner and are often paired with the entrees to reflect the region the cruise was passing through.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
Mamdani’s 14-mile walk this week of Manhattan, in scorching heat, evoked the neighborhood canvasses of John Lindsay, the liberal crusader whose budget priorities contributed to the city’s 1970s fiscal crisis.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
24 June 2025
-
But many felt that Roach was deserving of the victory after Davis, nicknamed Tank, opted to put his knee to the canvass in the ninth round.—
George Ramsay,
CNN,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Our ruling The Republican Party of Juneau County claimed on Facebook that planes full of unvetted refugees were being accepted to the Milwaukee and Madison airports.—
Sophie Carson,
Journal Sentinel,
3 July 2024
-
All this culminates in a debut album, Addison, that planes down contemporary pop influences into an ooze of familiarity, faintly evoking innovations in underground and alternative music without stepping out of its playlist-friendly lane.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fly. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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