Fly vs. Soar — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 27, 2023
Fly" refers to moving through the air under control, while "Soar" implies gliding high effortlessly, especially in an upward direction.
Difference Between Fly and Soar
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Fly" is a general term that describes the action of moving through the air, whether by birds, insects, or aircraft. "Soar," on the other hand, specifically conveys a manner of flying that is smooth, lofty, and often without much flapping or effort.
When birds "Fly," they may engage in a variety of actions, from darting about to hovering in place. However, when birds "Soar," they typically ride on air currents, often moving gracefully and with little evident effort.
Aircraft can both "Fly" and "Soar." When we talk about airplanes flying, we're discussing their general movement through the sky. But when we mention gliders or certain aircraft "soaring," we're highlighting their ability to glide smoothly, especially without the constant use of engines.
In a metaphorical context, both "Fly" and "Soar" can describe rapid or elevated progression. For instance, one's career can "Fly" by swiftly, or one's spirits can "Soar" with joy. Yet, "Soar" often emphasizes a more majestic or transcendent quality than "Fly."
Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Verb
Verb
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Definition
To move through the air.
To glide high in the air, typically without much effort.
Context of Usage
Describes general movement in the air.
Implies a graceful, elevated form of flying.
Connotation
Movement, action.
Loftiness, effortlessness.
Associated Terms
Flying (the act or process of flying).
Soaring (the action of gliding high effortlessly).
Compare with Definitions
Fly
To be communicated to many people
Rumors are flying about their breakup.
Soar
To rise dramatically beyond a normal or usual level.
Temperatures are expected to soar this weekend.
Fly
To travel in an aircraft.
We will fly to Paris next summer.
Soar
To fly aloft or about.
The eagle soars above the mountains.
Fly
To move or be hurled quickly through the air.
The baseball flew out of the stadium.
Soar
To rise or ascend to a height.
The kite soared in the sky.
Fly
To be displayed by fluttering or floating in the air.
The flag flies at half-mast today.
Soar
To ascend upward on a current of air.
The glider soared without the use of engines.
Fly
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.
Soar
To rise swiftly, as in rank, spirit, or status.
His spirits soared after hearing the good news.
Fly
To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.
Soar
To rise or fly into the air
The startled hawk soared away.
Fly
To travel by air
We flew to Dallas.
Soar
To maintain altitude without moving the wings or using an engine; glide.
Fly
To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
Soar
To increase or improve suddenly above the normal or usual level
Sales soared. Our spirits soared.
Fly
To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind
A kite flying above the playground.
Soar
The act of soaring.
Fly
To float or flap in the air
Pennants flying from the masthead.
Soar
The altitude or scope attained in soaring.
Fly
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.
Soar
(intransitive) To fly high with little effort, like a bird.
Fly
To move with great speed; rush or dart
The children flew down the hall.
Soar
To mount upward on wings, or as on wings, especially by gliding while employing rising air currents.
Fly
To flee; escape.
Soar
To remain aloft by means of a glider or other unpowered aircraft.
Fly
To hasten; spring
Flew to her students' defense.
Soar
To rise, especially rapidly or unusually high.
The pump prices soared into new heights as the strike continued.
Fly
To pass by swiftly
A vacation flying by.
Soar
(figuratively) To rise in thought, spirits, or imagination; to be exalted in mood.
Fly
To be dissipated; vanish
All his money has flown.
Soar
The act of soaring.
Fly
Past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.
Soar
An upward flight.
Fly
To shatter or explode
The dropped plate flew into pieces.
Soar
To fly aloft, as a bird; to mount upward on wings, or as on wings.
When soars Gaul's vulture with his wings unfurled.
Fly
To become suddenly emotional, especially angry
The driver flew into a rage.
Soar
Fig.: To rise in thought, spirits, or imagination; to be exalted in mood.
Where the deep transported mind may soar.
Valor soars aboveWhat the world calls misfortune.
Fly
(Informal) To gain acceptance or approval; go over
"However sophisticated the reasoning, this particular notion may not fly" (New York Times).
Soar
To fly by wind power; to glide indefinitely without loss of altitude.
Fly
To cause to fly or float in the air
Fly a kite.
Fly a flag.
Soar
The act of soaring; upward flight.
This apparent soar of the hooded falcon.
Fly
(Nautical) To operate under (a particular flag)
A tanker that flies the Liberian flag.
Soar
See 3d Sore.
Fly
To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).
Soar
See Sore, reddish brown.
Fly
To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft
Fly emergency supplies to a stricken area.
Soar
The act of rising upward into the air
Fly
To pass over or through in flight
Flew the coastal route in record time.
Soar
Rise rapidly;
The dollar soared against the yes
Fly
To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft
Flew six missions into space.
Soar
Fly by means of a hang glider
Fly
To flee or run from
Fly a place in panic.
Soar
Fly upwards or high in the sky
Fly
To avoid; shun
Fly temptation.
Soar
Go or move upward;
The stock market soared after the cease-fire was announced
Fly
The act of flying; flight.
Soar
Fly a plane without an engine
Fly
The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.
Fly
The flap of cloth that covers this opening.
Fly
A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.
Fly
A flyleaf.
Fly
(Baseball) A fly ball.
Fly
(Sports) In swimming, butterfly.
Fly
The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.
Fly
The outer edge of a flag.
Fly
A flywheel.
Fly
Flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.
Fly
Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.
Fly
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.
Fly
Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.
Fly
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.
Fly
Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.
Fly
(Slang) Fashionable; stylish.
Fly
(zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
Fly
(non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
Fly
Any similar, but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly or butterfly.
Fly
(fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
Fly
(weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
Fly
(swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
Fly
(obsolete) A witch's familiar.
Fly
(obsolete) A parasite.
Fly
(preceded by definite article) A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
Fly
(finance) A butterfly (combination of four options).
Fly
(obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
Fly
An act of flying.
There was a good wind, so I decided to give the kite a fly.
Fly
(baseball) A fly ball.
Fly
(American football) fly route
Fly
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
Fly
The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.
Fly
(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!
Fly
The free edge of a flag.
Fly
The horizontal length of a flag.
Fly
(weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
Fly
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
Fly
(nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Fly
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.
Fly
(historical) A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).
Fly
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..
Fly
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
Fly
(weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Fly
The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
Fly
A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
Fly
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
Fly
(cotton manufacture) waste cotton
Fly
A wing.
The bullet barely grazed the wild fowl's fly.
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.
Fly
To flee, to escape (from).
Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!
Fly
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.
Fly
(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?
Fly
(intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
A door flies open
A bomb flies apart
Fly
(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.
Fly
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?
Fly
To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
Fly
(transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
Fly
To be in the winged adult stage.
This species flies from late summer until frost.
Fly
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.
Fly
Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
Fly
(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
He's pretty fly.
Fly
(slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
Fly
To move in or pass through the air with wings, as a bird.
Fly
To move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
Fly
To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
Fly
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.
Fly
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 ?
Fly
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.
Fly
To cause to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc.
The brave black flag I fly.
Fly
To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.
Sleep flies the wretch.
To fly the favors of so good a king.
Fly
To hunt with a hawk.
Fly
To manage (an aircraft) in flight; as, to fly an aëroplane.
Fly
Any winged insect; esp., one with transparent wings; as, the Spanish fly; firefly; gall fly; dragon fly.
Fly
A hook dressed in imitation of a fly, - used for fishing.
Fly
A familiar spirit; a witch's attendant.
A trifling fly, none of your great familiars.
Fly
A parasite.
Fly
A kind of light carriage for rapid transit, plying for hire and usually drawn by one horse.
Fly
The length of an extended flag from its staff; sometimes, the length from the "union" to the extreme end.
Fly
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
Fly
That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Fly
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.
Fly
The piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
Fly
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
Fly
A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Fly
Formerly, the person who took the printed sheets from the press.
Fly
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.
Fly
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theater.
Fly
The fore flap of a bootee; also, a lap on trousers, overcoats, etc., to conceal a row of buttons.
Fly
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.
Fly
Waste cotton.
Fly
Knowing; wide awake; fully understanding another's meaning.
Fly
Two-winged insects characterized by active flight
Fly
Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
Fly
An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or buttons concealed by a fold of cloth
Fly
(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
Fly
Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
Fly
Travel through the air; be airborne;
Man cannot fly
Fly
Move quickly or suddenly;
He flew about the place
Fly
Fly a plane
Fly
Transport by aeroplane;
We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America
Fly
Cause to fly or float;
Fly a kite
Fly
Be dispersed or disseminated;
Rumors and accusations are flying
Fly
Change quickly from one emotional state to another;
Fly into a rage
Fly
Pass away rapidly;
Time flies like an arrow
Time fleeing beneath him
Fly
Travel in an airplane;
She is flying to Cincinnati tonight
Are we driving or flying?
Fly
Display in the air or cause to float;
Fly a kite
All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N.
Fly
Run away quickly;
He threw down his gun and fled
Fly
Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft;
Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic
Fly
Hit a fly
Fly
Decrease rapidly and disappear;
The money vanished in las Vegas
All my stock assets have vaporized
Fly
(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
Fly
To move through the air using wings.
Birds fly south for the winter.
Fly
To operate or pilot an aircraft.
She learned to fly at a young age.
Common Curiosities
Can all birds both Fly and Soar?
While most birds can fly, not all birds can soar, as soaring requires specific wing structures and air currents.
Is "Soaring" always about height?
Often, but "Soar" can also imply rising in importance, mood, or other non-literal ways.
Do airplanes Soar?
Airplanes primarily fly, but certain aircraft, like gliders, are designed to soar on air currents.
Is "Fly" only used for birds and aircraft?
No, "Fly" can also refer to moving quickly or being displayed in the air, among other meanings.
What's the opposite of "Soar"?
Dive or plummet can be considered opposites.
Can "Fly" have a negative connotation?
Yes, in contexts like "Fly off the handle," it implies losing control.
Is "Soaring" about speed?
Not necessarily. It's more about height and often effortless elevation.
Are there insects that Fly but don't Soar?
Yes, many insects can fly, but their method of flight is typically not described as soaring.
Is there a noun form of "Soar"?
Yes, "Soaring" can be a noun, referring to the action or condition of soaring.
Is soaring always effortless?
Typically, "Soar" implies effortlessness, especially when referring to birds or gliders.
Is "Fly" always about movement?
Predominantly, but "Fly" can also mean to display, as in a flag flying.
Do all things that Soar need wings?
Not necessarily. In a metaphorical context, things like prices or emotions can soar without literal wings.
Are there animals that Fly but aren't birds or insects?
Some mammals, like bats, can fly.
Can you "Fly" in space?
Technically, spacecraft don't fly in the same way birds or planes do because there's no air in space. They "travel" or "move" through space.
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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.
