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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 fly
Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
The rookie made just four of those attempts, but his willingness to let the three ball fly kept the Spurs honest.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fly
Verb
And elites were as likely to fly to the Emirates for financing as to New York or Shanghai.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
—Ryley Amond, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
Critics were given only two of the nine episodes from the first season for review, and these introductory episodes include everything from venus fly-traps and a human meat grinder to a serial killer with botched calf implants.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
The rookie made just four of those attempts, but his willingness to let the three ball fly kept the Spurs honest.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fly
Verb
-
Alcohol spending as a share of household budgets is also hovering at near 40-year lows, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that was cited in the report.—
Betty Lin-Fisher,
USA Today,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The 54-year-old comedian with a beard full of gray stubble drops back to pass, launching a tight spiral underneath SoFi’s massive technicolor halo scoreboard hovering above a sea of empty stands.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With Sunday marking the start of a four-game homestand that includes matchups against the Wizards on Tuesday, Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and Orlando Magic on Saturday, this is an important week for the Heat to take advantage of in its push to escape the NBA’s play-in tournament.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Unlike that unfortunate royal, however, the hoard of coins successfully escaped capture; Anastasia, in reality, did not.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Adirondack is a daily train that runs between New York City and Montreal, traveling 381 miles over 11 hours.—
Lauren Dana Ellman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
An autopsy shows all three shots fired by Stevens hit Martinez, with bullets traveling through his left arm before entering his torso and piercing his heart, lungs, liver and other organs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Turkey has been further enhancing its border defenses to be able to respond to a potential influx of people fleeing unrest after mass antigovernment protests in Iran were met by a brutal crackdown in January that left thousands dead.—
Serra Yedikardes,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Deputies tried to pull the driver over, but the driver instead chose to flee, and during the chase, the driver allegedly turned his headlights off to try and evade deputies, the sheriff's office said.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nickelate thin films must be grown with atomic-level precision, otherwise their delicate electronic properties disappear.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Your son, who has passed you and continued on, aptly makes his way through one of those ghost-tour groups and disappears from view.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After all, humanity has only been around for a few hundred thousand years, and with each year that passes, there’s a small but non-zero chance that some event, whether internal or external, will drive our species, and our civilization, to extinction.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most critical chokepoint for oil shipments, has effectively stalled as the threat of attacks from Iran deterred vessels from passing through the waterway.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With its sweeping curved beams and canvas canopy, the main lodge blends into the surroundings.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Mar. 2026
-
During certain times of the year, the surrounding terrain also becomes a canvas for vibrant California poppies.—
Kristine Thomason,
Outside,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Conditions will remain dangerous through the weekend, and people need to plane carefully and be conservative when selecting terrain, according to the CAIC.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
21 Feb. 2026
-
While other teams may begun planing for the next window with a potential 2026 rookie QB on the horizon, the Steelers acquired countless veterans to win right here and right now.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fly. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
