fly

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈflī 

flew ˈflü  ; flown ˈflōn  ; flying

intransitive verb

1

a

: to move in or pass through the air with wings

bees flying around the hive

b

: to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space

bullets flying in all directions

c

: to float, wave, or soar in the air

flags flying at half-mast

2

a

: to take flight : flee

was forced to fly for his life when his enemies came into power

b

: to fade and disappear : vanish

mists flying before the morning sun

3

a

: to move, pass, or spread quickly

rumors were flying

b

: to be moved with sudden extreme emotion

flew into a rage

c

: to seem to pass quickly

the time simply flew

4

: to become expended or dissipated rapidly

After he became established in the town, his inheritance flew.

5

: to operate or travel in an airplane or spacecraft

They flew to Florida for their vacation.

6

: to work successfully : win popular acceptance

knew … a pure human-rights approach would not fly

—Charles Brydon

transitive verb

1

a

: to cause to fly, float, or hang in the air

flying a kite

b

: to operate (something, such as a balloon, aircraft, rocket, or spacecraft) in flight

c

: to journey over or through by flying

flew the Atlantic

2

a

: to flee or escape from

The bird had flown its cage.

b

: avoid, shun

fly such a talkative woman

3

: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft

Supplies were flown to the disaster area.

fly

2 of 5

noun (1)

plural flies

1

: the action or process of flying : flight

2

a

: a device consisting of two or more radial vanes capable of rotating on a spindle to act as a fan or to govern the speed of clockwork or very light machinery

b

: flywheel

3

flies plural : the space over a theater stage where scenery and equipment can be hung

4

: something attached by one edge: such as

a

: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth extending over the fastener

b(1)

: the length of an extended flag from its staff or support

(2)

: the outer or loose end of a flag

5

: a baseball hit high into the air

6

: flyleaf

7

: a sheet of material (such as canvas) that is attachable to a tent for use as a double top or as a rooflike extension

8

: a football pass pattern in which the receiver runs straight downfield

fly

3 of 5

verb (2)

flied; flying

intransitive verb

: to hit a fly in baseball

fly

4 of 5

noun (2)

plural flies

1

: a winged insect

—usually used in combination

mayflies

butterfly

2

a

: any of a large order (Diptera) of winged or rarely wingless insects (such as the housefly, mosquito, or gnat) that have the anterior wings functional, the posterior wings reduced to halteres, and segmented often headless, eyeless, and legless larvae compare maggot

b

: a large stout-bodied fly

3

: a fishhook dressed (as with feathers or tinsel) to suggest an insect

fly

5 of 5

adjective

chiefly British

: keen, artful

Phrases

fly at

: to assail suddenly and violently

He flew at me in a rage.

fly blind

: to fly an airplane solely by instruments

fly high

: to be elated

She was flying high after winning the contest.

fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of

: to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of

His explanation flies in the face of the evidence.

on the fly

1

: in motion : busy

2

: while still in the air : without the ball bouncing

the home run carried 450 feet on the fly

3

: in a hurry and often without preparation : hastily, spontaneously

making decisions on the fly

4

: simultaneously with another task

software that handles formatting on the fly

fly in the ointment

: a detracting factor or element

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• aviate
• glide
• plane
• soar
• wing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Riyadh Air, which will be based in the capital, aims to fly to 100 destinations by 2030, according to state-run media. —Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2023

Is the plane going to be able to continue to fly and land? —Jennifer Korn, CNN, 12 Mar. 2023

Kikina was the first Roscosmos passenger to fly on a Commercial Crew Program flight. —Richard Tribou Orlando Sentinel (tns), al, 12 Mar. 2023

The internal report obtained by The Times shows that the Qatari government paid for Mr. Visentini to fly there in October. —Sarah Hurtes, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2023

The three Americans and one Canadian chosen to fly to the moon, but not land on it, will be revealed on April 3, Nelson said. —Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2023

At the Oscars, actresses (or their stylists) pull out all the stops: the most over-the-top runway gowns, the most glamorous one-off dresses—this is their one moment to fly close to the sun, to become a pop culture moment. —Laia Garcia-furtado, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2023

Hogwarts Flying Class Who could forget the place where Harry first learned how to fly in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? —Lauren Smith Mcdonough, House Beautiful, 9 Mar. 2023

My Dad is a doctor, and always had an appetite to learn how to fly but due to being colourblind, this could never become a reality. —Rachel Ingram, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023

Noun

For Heba Thorisdottir, the head of the makeup department, pulling it off in a way that was minimally invasive for Robbie required careful planning and on-the-fly precision. —Gabe Cohn, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2023

As kids, most of us learned how to play an on-the-fly version of chicken: two players are on a collision course that can be avoided only if one of the parties swerves. —Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Jan. 2023

In the case of a generative AI app, the essay is generated on-the-fly and though based on prior info is generally a fresh new essay. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023

Things proceeded so swimmingly, in fact, that as the mission progressed, managers felt confident enough to conduct additional, on-the-fly tests of the spacecraft’s capability. —Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 11 Dec. 2022

Staffers claim the hours were brutal – 12-to-15-hour days were the norm – all while navigating West’s eccentricities and on-the-fly demands, such as packing up an entire office on one day’s notice only to move again the next day. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2022

That resulted in a shuffling of Auburn’s remaining staff, and an on-the-fly week of preparation as Will Friend and Ike Hilliard assumed co-offensive coordinator duties while splitting play-calling on the field Saturday. —Tom Green | [e-mail], al, 6 Nov. 2022

Easy on-the-fly operation, quiet and weathertight when top is raised, the usual great C8 combination of performance and everyday drivability. —Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 11 Oct. 2022

Campbell also thought the Patriots built a nice on-the-fly game plan for Zappe, once he was thrust into action in Green Bay. —Jim Mcbride, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Oct. 2022

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Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan; akin to Old High German fliogan to fly and probably to Old English flōwan to flow

Noun (2)

Middle English flie, from Old English flēoge; akin to Old High German flioga fly, Old English flēogan to fly

Adjective

probably from fly entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1811, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fly

• flesh fly
• fly agaric
• face fly
• fly-by-night
• fly-by-nighter
• fly ball
• fly ash
• fly-by-wire
• fly dope
• fly fisherman
• fly front
• fly into
• fly high
• fly in the face of
• fly in the ointment
• fly into a rage
• fly off the rack
• fly net
• fly-on-the-wall
• fly sheet
• fly rod
• fly the coop
• fly whisk
• fur fly
• fly-strike
• fruit fly
• heel fly
• go fly a kite
• Hessian fly
• lantern fly
• Mediterranean fruit fly
• let fly
• pop fly
• pigs might fly
• no-fly zone
• sand fly
• sac fly
• Spanish fly
• sparks fly
• stone fly
• test-fly
• vinegar fly
• warble fly
• wouldn't hurt a fly
• when pigs fly
• horn fly
• caddis fly
• fly casting
• tsetse fly
• fly gallery
• bee fly
• fly off the handle
• robber fly
• sacrifice fly
• dry fly
• crane fly
• harvest fly
• scorpion fly
• fly fishing
• two-winged fly
• stable fly
• syrphid fly
• ichneumon fly
• fly at
• fly fish
• fly in the teeth of
• on the fly
• fly blind

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• flesh fly
• fly agaric
• face fly
• fly-by-night
• fly-by-nighter
• fly ball
• fly ash
• fly-by-wire
• fly dope
• fly fisherman
• fly front
• fly into
• fly high
• fly in the face of
• fly in the ointment
• fly into a rage
• fly off the rack
• fly net
• fly-on-the-wall
• fly sheet
• fly rod
• fly the coop
• fly whisk
• fur fly
• fly-strike
• fruit fly
• heel fly
• go fly a kite
• Hessian fly
• lantern fly
• Mediterranean fruit fly
• let fly
• pop fly
• pigs might fly
• no-fly zone
• sand fly
• sac fly
• Spanish fly
• sparks fly
• stone fly
• test-fly
• vinegar fly
• warble fly
• wouldn't hurt a fly
• when pigs fly
• horn fly
• caddis fly
• fly casting
• tsetse fly
• fly gallery
• bee fly
• fly off the handle
• robber fly
• sacrifice fly
• dry fly
• crane fly
• harvest fly
• scorpion fly
• fly fishing
• two-winged fly
• stable fly
• syrphid fly
• ichneumon fly
• fly at
• fly fish
• fly in the teeth of
• on the fly
• fly blind

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Kids Definition

fly

1 of 4 verb

ˈflī 

flew ˈflü  ; flown ˈflōn  ; flying

1

a

: to move in or pass through the air with wings

b

: to move through the air or with the wind

also : to move through outer space

c

: to float or cause to float, wave, or soar in the air

flags flying

fly a kite

2

: to take flight : flee

3

: to move or pass swiftly

time flies

4

a

: to operate or travel in an aircraft or spacecraft

b

: to journey over or through by flying

fly the Atlantic

c

: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft

fly

2 of 4 noun

plural flies

1

a

: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth

b

: the outer fabric of a tent with a double top

c

: the length of an extended flag

also : the loose end of a flag

2

: a baseball hit high into the air

fly

3 of 4 verb

flied; flying

: to hit a fly in baseball

fly

4 of 4 noun

plural flies

1

: a winged insect

2

: two-winged fly

especially : one (as a housefly) that is large and has a stout body in comparison with others (as a mosquito)

3

: a fishhook covered to look like an insect

Medical Definition

fly

noun

ˈflī 

plural flies

1

: a winged insect

—usually used in combination

emerging mayflies

a large butterfly

2

a

: any dipteran fly

called also true fly, two-winged fly

b

: a large and stout-bodied dipteran fly (as a horsefly)

Geographical Definition

Fly

geographical name

ˈflī 

river 650 miles (1046 kilometers) long in southern New Guinea flowing southeast into the Gulf of Papua