the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.
the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.
a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.
a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership.
He owns a fleet of cabs.
a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.
an arm of the sea; inlet.
a creek; stream; watercourse.
the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.
rapid in movement; swift
poetic fleeting; transient
(intr) to move rapidly
archaic (intr) to fade away smoothly; glide
(tr) nautical
to change the position of (a hawser)
to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in
to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)
obsolete (intr) to float or swim
obsolete (tr) to cause (time) to pass rapidly
a number of warships organized as a tactical unit
all the warships of a nation
a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership
a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer
Also called: Fleet Prison. (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors
First recorded before 1000; Middle English flete, fleot(e), Old English flēot “bay, estuary; boat,” derivative of flēotan float ( def. ); cf. fleet 2
First recorded in 1520–30; probably from or akin to Old Norse fljótr “quick, speedy”
First recorded before 900; Middle English flete, Old English flēot “flowing water”; cognate with German Fliess “brook”; fleet 3 def. 3 is so called after the Fleet a stream, later covered and used as a sewer, near which the prison was located; fleet 1 ( def. )
A fleet is usually a large group of ships, but it can be any group of vessels like planes or cars that operate as a unit. A naval fleet is the largest formation of warships. A naval fleet at sea is like an army on land. One meaning of fleet comes from the Old English fleot, meaning “ship,” “raft,” or “floating vessel.” Although a fleet is usually a group of ships or airplanes operating under the same ownership, any group of vessels sailing together can be called a fleet, even you and your friends in a fleet of kayaks. Another meaning of fleet originates in the Old English flēotan, which means “moving swiftly.” When it’s used in that way, it’s usually in the -ing form, fleeting.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The volatility in fuel prices is one of the reasons the district has continued investing in its electric fleet as a long-term cost-management strategy, the spokesperson said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Treasury has mounted a tougher crackdown on so-called shadow fleet ships, front companies and buyers that facilitate Iran’s oil sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Amazon launched its first batch of low-Earth orbit satellites last year and says it now has more than 390 satellites deployed, far behind Starlink's fleet of more than 10,000.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“These closures are now complete and have improved fleet quality and will strengthen the earnings profile of the business over time,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
As if the toy boat had belonged to the King’s fleet, Robin thought.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
Fleet praised the report highlighting the difference made to improving responses across different sectors.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Christopher and his brother were both in the 2023 Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” starring Josh Groban.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
There is a bustle about the main street and sitting with a coffee by the banks of the River Fleet feels like a good place to leave your worries behind you.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
Fleet metrics show more than 130 million barrels across roughly 80 laden tankers as of Thursday, as access through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily restricted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
This boy is called Geoffrey Atte-Water, because he lives by the River Fleet and tends the conduit there with his father.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
The Rams defense will try to neutralize the 44-year-old Brady, who is not as mobile as younger, fleeter quarterbacks but remains a master at moving in the pocket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2022
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Russell and Baez and Riz.
From New York Times ● Oct. 22, 2016
Something kind of similar is happening in the fleeter, more escapist Arrow and The Flash, two ongoing series on the CW based on DC Comics characters.
From Slate ● Mar. 9, 2015
Tendulkar, still fleeter of foot than some of his peers, was the man in fruitless pursuit.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 21, 2011
The ships of all foreign nations were considered lawful prey to the mariner with the stronger crew or fleeter sail.
From The "Adventurers of England" on Hudson Bay A Chronicle of the Fur Trade in the North (Volume 18 of the Chronicles of Canada) by Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina)
The stagecraft by which customers who just a minute ago were getting the closest of shaves are removed isn’t the fleetest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2019
This is the fleetest, funniest and — in keeping with its adolescent protagonist — most sophomoric of the volumes translated into English thus far.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2015
Never mind that other established players, such as Sacramento Kings all-star center DeMarcus Cousins, have dubbed him the league’s fleetest.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2015
"I'm not the fleetest of foot but I was just fast enough to get there."
From Reuters ● Oct. 16, 2015
The most celebrated of these—and indeed the fleetest horse that ever was bred in the world—was Flying Childers, got by the Darley Arabian.
From Natural History in Anecdote Illustrating the nature, habits, manners and customs of animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, etc., etc., etc. by Various
It doesn’t have fleets of heavy bombers or a blue-water navy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"It's been hard work in lifting on-time performance, investing in the customer experience and that's in all of our fleets, all of our networks," she says.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Buying equity stakes rather than owning depreciating fleets softens that, but the line between “demand layer” and “co-investor in hardware” thins with each deal.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Getting the right equipment to the right place at the right time and keeping fleets operational is its major competitive advantage.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Seven of those fleets sailed from China between A.D.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Another day of hiding and a night of journey had fleeted by.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
And now, as they drove Southward, day and night, Through storm and calm, the shores that fleeted by Grew wilder, grander, with his growing soul, And pregnant with the approaching mystery.
From Collected Poems Volume One by Noyes, Alfred
The old word for float: as "we fleeted down the river with our boats;" and Shakspeare makes Antony say, "Our sever'd navy too Have knit again, and fleet, threat'ning most sea-like."
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir
The dodo will be seen no more; the race has fleeted away.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.
Alas! alas! my new-sprung joy fast fleeted away, almost as suddenly as it had arisen!
From The Boy Tar by Read, Edward
“Night Nurse” is as flirty and fleeting as a high school crush — intense enough to make an impact but staked more on possibility than actual sensation.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Her links to south-west Wales are not widely known, as she only made fleeting references to what she called a "safe haven" during the war.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Europe's deadly heatwave pushed east Sunday with hundreds of millions still sweltering across the continent despite fleeting relief from overnight storms, notably in France and Belgium.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
Blockbuster earnings from Micron in the U.S. midweek appeared to have steadied nerves among investors, but the calm proved fleeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
He catches a fleeting glimpse of something—something enormous and dark—flying across the yard of the inn.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
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.
