fly
1 Americannoun
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flies
plural
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Also called true fly. any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly.
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Angling. a fishhook dressed with hair, feathers, silk, tinsel, etc., so as to resemble an insect or small fish, for use as a lure or bait.
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Astronomy. Fly, the constellation Musca.
idioms
verb (used without object)
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flies,
present (3rd person singular)
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flew,
past
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flied,
past participle, past
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flown,
past participle
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flying
present participle
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to move through the air using wings.
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to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force or agency.
bits of paper flying about.
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to float or flutter in the air.
flags flying in the breeze.
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to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft.
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to move suddenly and quickly; start unexpectedly.
He flew from the room.
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to change rapidly and unexpectedly from one state or position to another.
The door flew open.
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to flee; escape.
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to travel in space.
The probe will fly past the planet.
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to move or pass swiftly.
How time flies!
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to move with an aggressive surge.
A mother fox will fly at anyone approaching her kits.
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Baseball.
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to bat a fly ball.
He flied into right field.
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to fly out.
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Informal. to be acceptable, believable, or feasible.
It seemed like a good idea, but it just wouldn't fly.
verb (used with object)
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flies,
present (3rd person singular)
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flew,
past
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flied,
past participle, past
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flown,
past participle
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flying
present participle
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to make (something) float or move through the air.
to fly a kite.
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to operate (an aircraft, spacecraft, or the like).
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to hoist aloft, as for display, signaling, etc..
to fly a flag.
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to operate an aircraft or spacecraft over.
to fly the Pacific.
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to transport or convey by air.
We fly merchandise to Boston.
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to escape from; flee.
to fly someone's wrath.
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Theater.
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to hang (scenery) above a stage by means of rigging supported by the gridiron.
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to raise (scenery) from the stage or acting area into the flies.
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noun
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flies
plural
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a strip of material sewn along one edge of a garment opening for concealing buttons, zippers, or other fasteners.
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a flap forming the door of a tent.
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Also called tent fly. a piece of canvas extending over the ridgepole of a tent and forming an outer roof.
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an act of flying; a flight.
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the course of a flying object, as a ball.
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Baseball. fly ball.
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British. a light, covered, public carriage drawn by one horse; hansom; hackney coach.
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Machinery. a horizontal arm, weighted at each end, that pivots about the screw of a press so that when the screw is lowered the momentum of the fly will increase the force of the press.
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Also called fan. Horology. a regulating device for chime and striking mechanisms, consisting of an arrangement of vanes on a revolving axis.
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Printing.
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(in some presses) the apparatus for removing the printed sheets to the delivery table.
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Also called flyboy. (formerly) a printer's devil employed to remove printed sheets from a press.
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(on a flag)
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the horizontal dimension of a flag as flown from a vertical staff.
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the end of the flag farther from the staff.
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Also called fly loft. Theater. flies. the space above the stage used chiefly for storing scenery and equipment.
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Nautical. a propellerlike device streamed to rotate and transfer information on speed to a mechanical log.
verb phrase
idioms
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fly off the handle. handle.
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fly blind,
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to operate an airplane, especially during conditions of poor visibility, relying solely on instruments for guidance.
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to proceed with a complex task in the absence of directions by using one's own ability to determine what procedures to follow.
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fly in the face of, to act in defiance of (authority, custom, etc.). Also fly in the teeth of
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go fly a kite,
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to put up with or get used to matters as they stand.
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to confine oneself to one's own affairs.
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to cease being a nuisance.
If she gets mad enough she'll tell me to go fly a kite.
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on the fly,
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during flight; before falling to the ground.
to catch a baseball on the fly.
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hurriedly; without pausing.
We had dinner on the fly.
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let fly,
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to hurl or propel (a weapon, missile, etc.).
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to give free rein to an emotion.
She let fly with a barrage of angry words.
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adjective
adjective
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knowing and sharp; smart
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furtive or sneaky
noun
noun
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any dipterous insect, esp the housefly, characterized by active flight See also horsefly blowfly tsetse fly crane fly
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any of various similar but unrelated insects, such as the caddis fly, firefly, dragonfly, and chalcid fly
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angling a lure made from a fish-hook dressed with feathers, tinsel, etc, to resemble any of various flies or nymphs: used in fly-fishing See also dry fly wet fly
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(in southern Africa) an area that is infested with the tsetse fly
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slang to drink alone
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See amber
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informal a slight flaw that detracts from value, completeness, or enjoyment
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a person who watches others, while not being noticed himself or herself
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informal he is no fool
verb
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(intr) (of birds, aircraft, etc) to move through the air in a controlled manner using aerodynamic forces
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to travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
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to operate (an aircraft or spacecraft)
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to float, flutter, or be displayed in the air or cause to float, etc, in this way
to fly a kite
they flew the flag
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to transport or be transported by or through the air by aircraft, wind, etc
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(intr) to move or be moved very quickly, forcibly, or suddenly
she came flying towards me
the door flew open
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(intr) to pass swiftly
time flies
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to escape from (an enemy, place, etc); flee
he flew the country
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(intr; may be foll by at or upon) to attack a person
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(intr) to have a sudden outburst
he flew into a rage again
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(intr) (of money, etc) to vanish rapidly
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(tr) falconry (of hawks) to fly at (quarry) in attack
peregrines fly rooks
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(tr) theatre to suspend (scenery) above the stage so that it may be lowered into view
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to procure money by an accommodation bill
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to release information or take a step in order to test public opinion
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informal
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to have a high aim
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to prosper or flourish
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See face
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informal to lose one's temper
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informal to leave suddenly
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informal go away
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informal
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to lose one's temper (with a person)
she really let fly at him
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to shoot or throw (an object)
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noun
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Also called: fly front. (often plural) a closure that conceals a zip, buttons, or other fastening, by having one side overlapping, as on trousers
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Also called: fly sheet.
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a flap forming the entrance to a tent
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a piece of canvas drawn over the ridgepole of a tent to form an outer roof
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a small air brake used to control the chiming of large clocks
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the horizontal weighted arm of a fly press
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the outer edge of a flag
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the distance from the outer edge of a flag to the staff Compare hoist
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a light one-horse covered carriage formerly let out on hire
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an attempt
I'll give it a fly
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printing
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a device for transferring printed sheets from the press to a flat pile
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Also called: flyhand. a person who collects and stacks printed matter from a printing press
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a piece of paper folded once to make four pages, with printing only on the first page
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(plural) theatre the space above the stage out of view of the audience, used for storing scenery, etc
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rare the act of flying
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Any of numerous insects of the order Diptera, having one pair of wings and large compound eyes. Flies include the houseflies, horseflies, and mosquitoes.
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See more at dipteran
Usage
Plural word for fly The plural form of fly is flies. Words that end with a -y and are preceded by a consonant are made plural by changing the -y to -ies, as in party/parties, candy/candies, and duty/duties. This can be confusing, because words that end with a -y and are preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) are pluralized by adding an -s to the end, as in chimney/chimneys and fray/frays.
Synonym Usage
Fly, flit, flutter, hover, soar refer to moving through the air as on wings. Fly is the general term: Birds fly. Airplanes fly. To flit is to make short rapid flights from place to place: A bird flits from tree to tree. To flutter is to agitate the wings tremulously, either without flying or in flying only short distances: A young bird flutters out of a nest and in again. To hover is to linger in the air, or to move over or about something within a narrow area or space: hovering clouds; a hummingbird hovering over a blossom. To soar is to (start to) fly upward to a great height usually with little advance in any other direction, or else to (continue to) fly at a lofty height without visible movement of the wings: Above our heads an eagle was soaring.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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flyabilitynoun
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flyableadjective
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flylessadjective
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nonflyableadjective
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reflyableadjective
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unflyableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flysimple
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fliessimple
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have fliedperfect
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have flownperfect
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has fliedperfect
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has flownperfect
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am flyingprogressive
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are flyingprogressive
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is flyingprogressive
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have been flyingperfect progressive
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has been flyingperfect progressive
Past
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flewsimple
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fliedsimple
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had fliedperfect
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had flownperfect
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was flyingprogressive
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were flyingprogressive
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had been flyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fly1
First recorded before 950; Middle English flīe, Old English flēoge, flȳge; cognate with Middle Dutch vliege ( Dutch vlieg ), Old High German flioga ( German Fliege ); akin to fly 2
Origin of fly2
First recorded before 900; Middle English flīen, Old English flēogan; cognate with Old High German fliogan, German fliegen, Old Norse fljuga
Origin of fly3
First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of fly 2
Explanation
Fly describes moving through the air, like birds that fly in the sky, or getting something accepted, like your silly excuse that's not going to fly with your history teacher. Fly means "move through the air with wings," and it describes the movement of birds, airplanes, kites, and other things that float or move of their own accord above the ground. There are many other meanings of fly, including a buzzing insect with wings, a baseball hit high across a field, and the zipper on a pair of pants. As an adjective, fly means cool, though there's no guarantee it's still fly to use it.
Vocabulary lists containing fly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When such a collision occurs, the quark and Z boson should fly away from each other in opposite directions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
There is a fly in the ointment of these historical averages, however — a big one.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Grant-Finlayson and Hamblett tried to fly one-way to Tunisia following the attack but were arrested at Gatwick airport, each with about £3,000 in cash, the court heard.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Investigators want to know why Hamam Al-Hammami took a radical turn and why he was hired to fly a sensitive route between Dubai and Tel Aviv.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
“You will fly on the back of a dragon.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
It took the company more than six weeks to clear the site, during which residents complained about a surge of rats, flies and sickness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
The wide-body jets it flies to Europe, which it acquired in the Hawaiian deal, are already outfitted with business class suites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"It smells horrible," he said, explaining the fungus attracts flies which help spread its spores.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The experiments were conducted in fruit flies, so additional research will be needed to determine how closely the same mechanisms operate in people.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Are you waiting for an invitation? Or maybe you want to bring in a bunch of flies, too?”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Recently, I watched someone stop on the street to read a flyer for a Repair Fair.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
Everton are off to a bit of a flyer under David Moyes - beating Palace and then Preston North End in the EFL Cup.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Mr. James’s main characters are men who have answered a flyer advertising auditions for a local theater performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He came back to Iowa to meet them again a year later, this time with a date, a venue and a flyer he could hand to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
As I open the junk drawer, a flyer, one end snagged in a crevice in the wood above, unfurls.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
It’s the flyest — all the young ballers are in there.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025
She told her fellow graduates and their families that they were “the flyest class ever to do it.”
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2023
Unlike her fellow Jersey teens who insist that superheroes aren’t cool, Kamala Khan, the heroine of Marvel’s upcoming Ms. Marvel series, thinks capes are the flyest thing in the world.
From The Verge ● Mar. 15, 2022
In denim overalls, a matching jacket and red cap, he cruises out on what looks like the concert platform of the flyest club in town.
From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2021
Bamberger’s is one of the flyest department stores in downtown Newark.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Myron Shneider said his mother gave him one rule when he flew from Boston to Israel on a Birthright trip in 2012 at age 19: Don’t be an idiot and join the military.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Three years later, Kane and Abel, a ripping page-turner about the roller-coaster financial fortunes of two men who initially shared nothing but a date of birth, flew off the shelves.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
F1 teams flew from Azerbaijan, acclimated to a daytime schedule in Malaysia and then immediately pivoted to the night shift in Singapore this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Marine Corps helicopter pilot who flew Marine One in support of a former U.S. president.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
She scoffed, and her gaze briefly flew up to the rafters.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Max Muncy popped out and Kyle Tucker, back in the lineup after exiting Monday’s game because of back spasms, flied out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
Central Florida’s Coco Jaimes flied out to end the inning, but the Knights had scored three to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-4.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
Freeman, however, flied out to leave more baserunners stranded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
But he flied out to center to end the inning, extending his recent hitless streak to 16 at-bats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2025
Devore began the fifth with a hit, but Doyle flied to short, and Devore was doubled off first in a play from right field.
From Spalding's Official Baseball Guide - 1913 by
When the song outgrows the blue-ribbon crowd, they’re flown to Los Angeles for one nationally televised performance before falling out in a bit of dressing room melodrama.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
The hospital gets about 700 trauma patients each year and, of those, about 70 need to be flown to the mainland, CEO Tim Kielpinski told The Times in an interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The captain and the co-pilot are in the U.A.E. after being flown there Thursday from Saudi Arabia, where the plane made an emergency landing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
At the time of the conversation, Capt Machchhar said that no plane he'd flown had had to make an emergency landing.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
But the Incorrigibles had already flown the coop, so to speak.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Thiero started the summer moving too quickly through games, crashing into the lane and flying recklessly toward the rim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Since the crash, "three aircraft have also been flying over the scene", she said by phone.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The attack was another blow to the emirate’s image as a haven insulated from the region’s turmoil, after the Iran war raised fears about flying to a city synonymous with luxury travel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
In the West Indies, these can be inflated by the cost of flying West Indies and visiting players between islands.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Patch pointed at a gannet flying up overhead, its neck reaching.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
