Fly Definition and Meaning
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 5, 2024
"Fly" primarily means to move through the air with wings, as in the case of birds, insects, or aircraft. e.g., The eagle can fly very high.
Table of Contents
Fly Definitions
Fly means to travel through air using wings.
Birds fly south for the winter.
Fly refers to operating an aircraft.
She learned how to fly a plane.
Fly can describe moving swiftly.
Time seems to fly when you're having fun.
Fly describes displaying a flag or banner.
They fly their team's flag during games.
Fly can mean to travel by air.
We will fly to Paris for vacation.
Fly involves projecting oneself through the air.
The gymnast can fly through the air with ease.
Fly can refer to moving suddenly or quickly.
The door flew open in the wind.
To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.
To travel by air
We flew to Dallas.
To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind
A kite flying above the playground.
To float or flap in the air
Pennants flying from the masthead.
To move or be sent through the air with great speed
Bullets flying in every direction.
A plate that flew from my hands when I stumbled.
To move with great speed; rush or dart
The children flew down the hall.
To be communicated to many people
Rumors are flying about their breakup.
To flee; escape.
To hasten; spring
Flew to her students' defense.
To pass by swiftly
A vacation flying by.
To be dissipated; vanish
All his money has flown.
Past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.
To shatter or explode
The dropped plate flew into pieces.
To become suddenly emotional, especially angry
The driver flew into a rage.
(Informal) To gain acceptance or approval; go over
"However sophisticated the reasoning, this particular notion may not fly" (New York Times).
To cause to fly or float in the air
Fly a kite.
Fly a flag.
(Nautical) To operate under (a particular flag)
A tanker that flies the Liberian flag.
To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).
To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft
Fly emergency supplies to a stricken area.
To pass over or through in flight
Flew the coastal route in record time.
To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft
Flew six missions into space.
To flee or run from
Fly a place in panic.
To avoid; shun
Fly temptation.
The act of flying; flight.
The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.
The flap of cloth that covers this opening.
A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.
A flyleaf.
(Baseball) A fly ball.
(Sports) In swimming, butterfly.
The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.
The outer edge of a flag.
A flywheel.
Flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.
Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.
Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.
A fishing lure simulating something a fish eats, such as a mayfly or a minnow, made by attaching materials such as feathers, tinsel, and colored thread to a fishhook.
Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.
(Slang) Fashionable; stylish.
(zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
(non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
Any similar, but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly or butterfly.
(fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
(weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
(swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
(obsolete) A witch's familiar.
(obsolete) A parasite.
(preceded by definite article) A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
(finance) A butterfly (combination of four options).
(obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
An act of flying.
There was a good wind, so I decided to give the kite a fly.
(baseball) A fly ball.
(American football) fly route
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.
(often plural) A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
Ha-ha! Your flies are undone!
The free edge of a flag.
The horizontal length of a flag.
(weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
(nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
(historical) A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).
In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch..
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
(weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
(cotton manufacture) waste cotton
A wing.
The bullet barely grazed the wild fowl's fly.
(intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter.
The Concorde flew from Paris to New York faster than any other passenger airplane.
It takes about eleven hours to fly from Frankfurt to Hong Kong.
The little fairy flew home on the back of her friend, the giant eagle.
To flee, to escape (from).
Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!
To cause to fly travel or float in the air: to transport via air or the like.
Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean.
Why don’t you go outside and fly kites, kids? The wind is just perfect.
Birds fly their prey to their nest to feed it to their young.
Each day the postal service flies thousands of letters around the globe.
(intransitive) To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.
He flew down the hill on his bicycle.
It's five o'clock already. Doesn't time fly?
(intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
A door flies open
A bomb flies apart
(intransitive) To proceed with great success.
His career is really flying at the moment.
One moment the company was flying high, the next it was on its knees.
To be accepted, come about or work out.
Let's see if that idea flies.
You know, I just don't think that's going to fly. Why don't you spend your time on something better?
To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
(transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
To be in the winged adult stage.
This species flies from late summer until frost.
To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
Jones flied to right in his last at-bat.
Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
He's pretty fly.
(slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
To move in or pass through the air with wings, as a bird.
To move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
To move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around; rumor flies.
Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race.
The dark waves murmured as the ships flew on.
To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee.
Fly, ere evil intercept thy flight.
Whither shall I fly to escape their hands ?
To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly; - usually with a qualifying word; as, a door flies open; a bomb flies apart.
To cause to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc.
The brave black flag I fly.
To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.
Sleep flies the wretch.
To fly the favors of so good a king.
To hunt with a hawk.
To manage (an aircraft) in flight; as, to fly an aëroplane.
Any winged insect; esp., one with transparent wings; as, the Spanish fly; firefly; gall fly; dragon fly.
A hook dressed in imitation of a fly, - used for fishing.
A familiar spirit; a witch's attendant.
A trifling fly, none of your great familiars.
A parasite.
A kind of light carriage for rapid transit, plying for hire and usually drawn by one horse.
The length of an extended flag from its staff; sometimes, the length from the "union" to the extreme end.
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
The piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Formerly, the person who took the printed sheets from the press.
The outer canvas of a tent with double top, usually drawn over the ridgepole, but so extended as to touch the roof of the tent at no other place.
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theater.
The fore flap of a bootee; also, a lap on trousers, overcoats, etc., to conceal a row of buttons.
A batted ball that flies to a considerable distance, usually high in the air; also, the flight of a ball so struck; as, it was caught on the fly. Also called fly ball.
Waste cotton.
Knowing; wide awake; fully understanding another's meaning.
Two-winged insects characterized by active flight
Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or buttons concealed by a fold of cloth
(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
Travel through the air; be airborne;
Man cannot fly
Move quickly or suddenly;
He flew about the place
Fly a plane
Transport by aeroplane;
We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America
Cause to fly or float;
Fly a kite
Be dispersed or disseminated;
Rumors and accusations are flying
Change quickly from one emotional state to another;
Fly into a rage
Pass away rapidly;
Time flies like an arrow
Time fleeing beneath him
Travel in an airplane;
She is flying to Cincinnati tonight
Are we driving or flying?
Display in the air or cause to float;
Fly a kite
All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N.
Run away quickly;
He threw down his gun and fled
Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft;
Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic
Hit a fly
Decrease rapidly and disappear;
The money vanished in las Vegas
All my stock assets have vaporized
(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
Fly pertains to being carried through the air.
The ball will fly out of the park.
Fly is used for escaping quickly.
The thieves tried to fly from the scene.
Fly denotes moving or being sent swiftly.
The email will fly across the internet.
Fly Snonyms
Hover
Remain in one place in the air.
The helicopter hovered above the crowd.
Soar
Fly or rise high in the air.
The eagle soared above the mountains.
Glide
Move with a smooth continuous motion, especially with little or no noise.
The plane glided to a landing on the runway.
Sail
Move smoothly and rapidly or in a stately or confident manner.
The kite sailed across the sky.
Flit
Move swiftly and lightly.
The small bird flitted from branch to branch.
Float
Rest or move on or near the surface of a liquid without sinking.
The paper boat floated down the river.
Ascend
Go up or climb.
The balloon ascended into the clouds.
Cruise
Travel or move about smoothly and easily.
The aircraft cruised at high altitude.
Drift
Be carried slowly by a current of air or water.
The leaves drifted down from the trees.
Jet
Travel by jet aircraft.
We jet off to Spain for vacation.
Fly Idioms & Phrases
Fly off the handle
To suddenly become extremely angry without a good reason.
He flew off the handle when he found out his favorite mug was broken.
Fly high
To be very successful.
After launching the new product, the company is flying high.
Fly in the face of
To go against or oppose boldly.
His theories fly in the face of conventional wisdom.
Fly on the wall
A person who observes others without being noticed.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall during their secret meeting.
Let fly
To suddenly express strong emotions or opinions.
She let fly her frustrations about the project's delays during the meeting.
On the fly
Doing something spontaneously or without preparation.
We had to make decisions on the fly during the crisis.
Fly under the radar
To go unnoticed or undetected.
He prefers to fly under the radar and avoid drawing attention to himself.
Make one's fly
To hurry or rush someone.
She made her kids fly in the morning to get them to school on time.
Fly by the seat of one's pants
To act instinctively rather than with careful planning.
Without any formal training, she was flying by the seat of her pants.
When pigs fly
Something that will never happen.
He'll clean his room when pigs fly, meaning probably never.
Fly solo
To do something alone without assistance.
After years in a band, he decided to fly solo and released a single.
Shoot the fly
To address or focus on a minor issue with excessive concern.
We're shooting the fly here by arguing over such a small detail in the contract.
Fly the coop
To leave or escape from a place.
The kids flew the coop as soon as they were old enough to live on their own.
Fly by night
Referring to something or someone unreliable or untrustworthy, often disappearing quickly.
Be wary of those fly by night operators selling cheap electronics.
Fly the flag
To represent or show support for one's country, team, or cause.
Fans flew the flag for their team during the World Cup.
Fly into the eye of the storm
To directly confront a difficult or dangerous situation.
The rescue team flew into the eye of the storm to save the stranded hikers.
Fly off the shelves
To sell very quickly.
The new smartphone model is flying off the shelves.
Let something fly
To launch or throw something.
He let the ball fly across the field.
Fly into a passion
To suddenly become very angry or emotional.
She flew into a passion after hearing the unfair criticism.
Fly Example Sentences
The birds fly back to their nests at dusk.
He watched the airplanes fly overhead.
She wants to fly around the world someday.
The superhero can fly faster than sound.
The players watched the ball fly over the fence.
They watched the balloons fly up into the sky.
The children love to fly their kites in the park.
The time seemed to fly during the movie.
The kite will fly high on a windy day.
They will fly to a warmer place in winter.
He learned to fly drones as a hobby.
The paper airplane will fly across the room.
She saw a hawk fly above the trees.
She couldn't believe how fast the hummingbird could fly.
The flag will fly high during the celebration.
Common Curiosities
How do we divide fly into syllables?
Since "fly" has only one syllable, it is not divided.
Why is it called fly?
"Fly" is called so because it originates from the Old English word "flēogan," meaning to move through the air with wings.
How is fly used in a sentence?
"Birds can fly high in the sky."
What part of speech is fly?
"Fly" can be used as a verb and a noun.
What is the verb form of fly?
The verb form is "fly," as in "to fly."
What is the pronunciation of fly?
Fly is pronounced as /flaɪ/.
What is the third form of fly?
The third form (past participle) is "flown."
What is another term for fly?
Another term for "fly" could be "soar" (as a verb) or "insect" (as a noun, referring to a flying insect).
How many syllables are in fly?
There is one syllable in "fly."
What is a stressed syllable in fly?
The entire word "fly" is the stressed syllable, as it consists of only one syllable.
What is the first form of fly?
The first form (present tense) is "fly."
Is fly a noun or adjective?
"Fly" is primarily a verb and a noun. It is not commonly used as an adjective.
Is fly an adverb?
No, "fly" is not an adverb.
What is the root word of fly?
The root word is the Old English "flēogan."
What is the opposite of fly?
The opposite of "fly" (verb) could be "land" or "ground."
Is fly a vowel or consonant?
The word "fly" starts with the consonant "f."
What is the second form of fly?
The second form (simple past tense) is "flew."
What is the singular form of fly?
The singular form is "fly," applicable to both the verb and noun forms.
Is the fly term a metaphor?
"Fly" can be used metaphorically to describe moving or progressing swiftly or suddenly.
Is the word fly Gerund?
The gerund form of "fly" is "flying," which functions as a noun.
Is the word “fly” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Fly" can serve as a direct object when used as a noun, e.g., "I swatted the fly." It is not typically used as an indirect object.
Is fly a negative or positive word?
"Fly" is neutral; its connotation depends on the context in which it is used.
Is fly a countable noun?
When used as a noun referring to the insect, "fly" is countable.
Which vowel is used before fly?
The article "a" is used before "fly" when it functions as a singular noun and starts with a consonant sound.
Which conjunction is used with fly?
Conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "or" can be used with "fly" in compound sentences.
What is the plural form of fly?
The plural form, when used as a noun, is "flies."
Is fly an abstract noun?
As a noun, "fly" refers to an insect, making it a concrete noun, not abstract.
Is fly a collective noun?
No, "fly" is not typically used as a collective noun.
Is the word fly imperative?
"Fly" can be used in the imperative form as a command, e.g., "Fly to safety."
Which determiner is used with fly?
Determiners such as "a," "the," "this," "every," and "no" can be used with "fly," depending on the context.
Which preposition is used with fly?
Prepositions like "to," "from," or "over" can be used with "fly," depending on the context, e.g., "fly to Paris," "fly from New York," or "fly over the mountains."
Which article is used with fly?
Both "a" (indefinite) and "the" (definite) can be used with "fly," depending on whether it's being used in a specific or nonspecific context, e.g., "a fly on the wall" or "the fly in the ointment."
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
