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

flyer; flyest

1

chiefly African American English : impressively good, attractive, or stylish

The singer was spotted out and about … looking fly as ever in an all-black hooded outfit.

—Natalie Michie

… the Destiny's Child alum knew she was looking flyer than ever, stopping to pose for a few extra flirty photo opportunities as she arrived.

—McKenna Aiello

Mary J. [Blige] had a tough job following up on one of the flyest debut albums in the hip-hop nation. Instead of trying to outdo herself, she took her music to the next level …

—Gerald Dee

2

chiefly British : keen, artful

But Shakespeare never really fell foul of the secret police. He was too fly for that.

—Boris Johnson

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

Examples of fly in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the Wright brothers realized mankind's age-old wish to fly

you must fly to safety immediately

flew down the concourse to catch his flight

no one in the movies ever thinks to fly from the ax murderer and immediately call the police

the morning mist had flown, and a sparkling sea lay before us

the familiar "Because I said so!" is a reason that won't fly with most teenagers

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Half-mast refers to flags flown on ships, while half-staff is used for flags flown on land. —Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 21 Dec. 2024

But flying in December — when air travel records are regularly broken — definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. —Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024

Noun

Betts’ acclimation to the position was largely on the fly in the absence of spending time there at spring training. —Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic, 10 Dec. 2024

With a live show, there’s no practice runs and issues need to be worked out on the fly. —Kari McMahon, Billboard, 6 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Taylor, Jalen Hurts, and Jaylen Brown have each been able to become the flyest version of themselves due to the capabilities of their stylist. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 5 Nov. 2024

If the Derby was a contest for whose bat was the flyest, though, Henderson might’ve taken that with his colorful piece of lumber with Scooby-Doo’s face on it. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 15 July 2024

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

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing fly

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

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

Etymology

Verb

Old English flēogan "to move through the air, fly"

Noun

Old English flēoge "flying 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