1
: one that seeks to evade responsibilities and especially creditors by flight
2
: one without established reputation or standing
especially
: a shaky business enterprise
1
: given to making a quick profit usually by shady or irresponsible acts
2
: transitory, passing
fly-by-night fashions
Examples of fly-by-night in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Oftentimes fly-by-night quarterback Jameis Winston energized a seemingly down-and-out Browns team in his first start for the team — his first start anywhere in more than two years.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Vouchers create a new market for pop-up and fly-by-night schools designed to gather up those taxpayer dollars.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
This wasn’t a fly-by-night success story—Baker has published more than 600 papers in his career—and neither was AlphaFold2, the Google DeepMind project that was awarded the prize by the committee.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
The pitch was in keeping with Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Wine, and Trump’s other fly-by-night merchandising ventures.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
And small fly-by-night initiatives have become a bigger concern lately.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Aug. 2024
Over the past 15 years, a cottage industry of fly-by-night prep schools similar to Kanye West’s Donda Academy has sprung up in the U.S., luring international teenage players with promises of exposure to college recruiters and a shot at a pro career.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2024
This rule was initially aimed at stamping out fly-by-night Chinese operations recycling dirty or otherwise contaminated material.
—Tian MacLeod Ji, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2024
Tim Gray, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2023
But now, allowing every fly-by-night oversees judgment-proof vendor to ship sales directly into American households is Customs anarchy.
—Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
That someone was Gary Paxton, one of the true eccentrics in the early fly-by-night Hollywood rock ‘n’ roll industry.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Oftentimes fly-by-night quarterback Jameis Winston energized a seemingly down-and-out Browns team in his first start for the team — his first start anywhere in more than two years.
—Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
Vouchers create a new market for pop-up and fly-by-night schools designed to gather up those taxpayer dollars.
—Peter Greene, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
This wasn’t a fly-by-night success story—Baker has published more than 600 papers in his career—and neither was AlphaFold2, the Google DeepMind project that was awarded the prize by the committee.
—Chris Stokel-Walker, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
The pitch was in keeping with Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Wine, and Trump’s other fly-by-night merchandising ventures.
—Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2024
And small fly-by-night initiatives have become a bigger concern lately.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Aug. 2024
Over the past 15 years, a cottage industry of fly-by-night prep schools similar to Kanye West’s Donda Academy has sprung up in the U.S., luring international teenage players with promises of exposure to college recruiters and a shot at a pro career.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 3 Aug. 2024
This rule was initially aimed at stamping out fly-by-night Chinese operations recycling dirty or otherwise contaminated material.
—Tian MacLeod Ji, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 July 2024
Adjective
But even before that, AMPAS leaders tackled the issue of moviegoing, since the new fly-by-night entertainment had evolved into an industry.
—Tim Gray, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2023
But now, allowing every fly-by-night oversees judgment-proof vendor to ship sales directly into American households is Customs anarchy.
—Kenneth Rapoza, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near fly-by-night
Cite this Entry
“Fly-by-night.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fly-by-night. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share