Fly vs. Flying — What's the Difference?

To move or be sent through the air.

Gliding or moving smoothly through air.

To pilot an aircraft.

Moving through the air.

To move through the air using wings.

Operating an aircraft in the air.

To travel by air.

Being suspended or moving through the air.

To operate an aircraft or travel by air.

Traveling by air.

Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- di- "two", and πτερόν pteron "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced mechanosensory organs known as halteres, which act as high-speed sensors of rotational movement and allow dipterans to perform advanced aerobatics.

Of or relating to aviation

To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.

Capable of or engaged in flight

To travel by air

Situated, extending, or functioning in the air

To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.

Swiftly moving; fleet

To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind

Done or performed swiftly in or as if in the air

To float or flap in the air

Brief; hurried

To move or be sent through the air with great speed

Capable of swift deployment or response; extremely mobile.

To move with great speed; rush or dart

Set by hoisting from the deck. Used of a sail.

To be communicated to many people

Secured only at the corners. Used of a sail.

To flee; escape.

Flight in an aircraft or spacecraft.

To hasten; spring

The piloting or navigation of an aircraft or spacecraft.

To pass by swiftly

That flies or can fly.

To be dissipated; vanish

Brief or hurried.

Past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.

Capable of speed

To shatter or explode

Not secured by yards.

To become suddenly emotional, especially angry

Capable of foiling.

(Informal) To gain acceptance or approval; go over

Designating a cattle brand consisting of a letter extended on both sides with tilde-like curved lines.

To cause to fly or float in the air

Present participle of fly

(Nautical) To operate under (a particular flag)

An act of flight.

To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).

The action or process of sustained motion through the air.

To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft

The action of sustained hydrodynamic lift on hydrofoils lifting the vessel hull lifted out of the water, for sustained motion across water.

To pass over or through in flight

Moving in the air with, or as with, wings; moving lightly or rapidly; intended for rapid movement.

To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft

An instance of traveling by air;

To flee or run from

Capable of or engaged in flight;

To avoid; shun

Moving swiftly;

The act of flying; flight.

Streaming or flapping or spreading wide as if in a current of air;

The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.

Designed for swift movement or action;

The flap of cloth that covers this opening.

Of or relating to passage through the air especially aviation;

A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.

Hurried and brief;

A flyleaf.

Done swiftly in or as if in the air; used e.g. of a racing start in which runners are already in motion as they cross the starting line;

(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.

(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.

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.

(intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.

To flee, to escape (from).

To cause to fly travel or float in the air: to transport via air or the like.

(intransitive) To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.

(intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.

(intransitive) To proceed with great success.

To be accepted, come about or work out.

To display (a flag) on a flagpole.

(transitive) To hunt with a hawk.

To be in the winged adult stage.

To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).

Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.

(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.

(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.

To move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around; rumor flies.

To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee.

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.

To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.

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 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;

Move quickly or suddenly;

Fly a plane

Transport by aeroplane;

Cause to fly or float;

Be dispersed or disseminated;

Change quickly from one emotional state to another;

Pass away rapidly;

Travel in an airplane;

Display in the air or cause to float;

Run away quickly;

Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft;

Hit a fly

Decrease rapidly and disappear;

(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked

Yes, "fly" can also refer to a type of winged insect, such as a housefly.

"Flying" is used to describe the ongoing action or state of being airborne, emphasizing duration.

"Fly" primarily means to move through the air using wings or to travel by air.

"Flying" is rarely used metaphorically and is typically focused on literal flying.

"Fly" can appear in various tenses, while "flying" functions as a gerund or present participle to describe ongoing actions.

Yes, "fly" can be used in passive constructions, such as "The kite was flown by him."

"Flying" typically refers to air travel, especially in commercial or recreational contexts.

Yes, "flying" is commonly used in aviation and other professional contexts to describe the act of piloting or being airborne.

"Flying" implies a continuous or extended action, such as piloting an airplane or a bird being in the air.

Yes, "fly" can indicate a quick, singular action, like a bird taking off or an object being thrown through the air.

An example is the phrase "time flies," which suggests that time passes quickly.

"Fly" can vary widely, from biological (birds flying) to technological (flying an aircraft).

Yes, such as "fly off the handle" or "let fly," which have various metaphorical meanings.

Yes, "flying" relates specifically to the ongoing nature or duration of being airborne.

"Fly" can imply brevity or swiftness, while "flying" suggests a sustained action, reflecting how each is perceived in terms of time.