1
as in rushed
acting or done with excessive or careless speed
a flying attempt at finishing the work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed
that car was flying as it careened down the streets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in flight
travel through the air by the use of wings
had never had the slightest fear of flying
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in hovering
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
2
as in escaping
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
you must fly to safety immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in travelling
to proceed or move quickly
flew down the concourse to catch his flight
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in fleeing
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 disappearing
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 working
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.
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Recent Examples of flying
Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025
Wonder plant and insect camera Bird Buddy is moving on to smaller flying creatures of the outdoors.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2025
Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Six bystanders in the crowd were injured that night, either by bullets or flying shrapnel, Azmoudeh said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Beth Shapiro, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
On July 1, the ATLAS survey telescope recorded the comet flying through space at a staggering speed of 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h).
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flying
Adjective
Our fact-check sources Chaos Factory (YouTube), Sept. 1, 2023, BREAKING: UFO's seen over South Florida today being followed by military attack helicopters
Business Insider, Feb. 12, 2023, The US has shot down 3 suspicious flying objects in 3 days.
—Kate S. Petersen, USA TODAY, 13 Jan. 2025
Wonder plant and insect camera Bird Buddy is moving on to smaller flying creatures of the outdoors.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
The team collected museum specimens for the brown rat, house mouse, Eastern grey squirrel, Eastern chipmunk, muskrat, white-footed mouse, fox squirrel and Southern flying squirrel, making anatomical measurements of each for statistical comparisons.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Six bystanders in the crowd were injured that night, either by bullets or flying shrapnel, Azmoudeh said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Without this survey, policymakers are flying blind—and nonprofits like ours can't replace that essential federal infrastructure.
—Beth Shapiro, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
On July 1, the ATLAS survey telescope recorded the comet flying through space at a staggering speed of 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h).
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flying
Adjective
-
Our poor Toby, always so stressed, always so rushed.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
These alternatives can often provide a richer, less rushed experience than a whirlwind day trip to Paris.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The rapid advances of AI and the ceaseless scheming of cybercriminals and hackers make cyber startups one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors of the tech industry, Chahal says.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
-
For all the confidence from trade negotiators in recent days and the leaders’ warm remarks as talks got underway in Busan, whether the meeting would take place at all remained an open question just days ago after a rapid escalation of frictions between the two sides.—
Betsy Klein,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
In orchestrating the flight, Hamida refashions the sequence of events in her own abduction.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
More than 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba as Melissa approached, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, while in the Bahamas, preliminary estimates show 1,485 residents were evacuated before all flights were suspended ahead of the approaching storm.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These sausage bites are the appetizer that will keep crowds hovering around the buffet table.—
Mary Alice Russell,
Southern Living,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Disney+ churn rates had been steady at around 3-4 percent per month consistently this year, with churn rates at Hulu hovering at 4-5 percent per month.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Apa's character, Archie Andrews, was attacked by a bear after escaping from an underground prison fight club; Reinhart's Betty discovered her father was a serial killer and saved her sister from a cult; and Mendes traveled back in time to invent birth control.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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Williams, who was also sentenced to a five-year prison term for escaping custody, sparking a major manhunt, is also at the center of allegations of misconduct by the Johnson City Police Department for more than three years.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Officials said Booth allegedly stopped chasing the uncle, dropped the screwdriver and stripped off her clothes before fleeing from responding police.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The characters from Malczewski’s canvases march through successive decades, fighting and fleeing various yokes.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Faye is both highly supportive yet frustrated by the distant Springsteen, who showers her with love before disappearing into his music.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The three dugongs interact and almost seem to play together before disappearing from view, the footage shows.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The two first met over Zoom while working on the Amazon film Música, which Mancuso wrote and directed.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said the legislation wouldn’t cover military troops or federal law enforcement officers or air traffic controllers who are working without paychecks.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flying. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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