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Synonyms

flier

American  
[flahy-er] / ˈflaɪ ər /
Or flyer

noun

  1. something that flies, as a bird or insect.

  2. an aviator or pilot.

  3. an airplane passenger, especially one who travels regularly by air.

  4. a person or thing that moves with great speed.

  5. some part of a machine having a rapid motion.

  6. a small handbill; circular.

  7. Informal. a flying jump or leap.

    He took a flier off the bridge.

  8. Informal. a risky or speculative venture.

    Our flier in uranium stocks was a disaster.

  9. one of the steps in a straight flight of stairs.

  10. a trapeze artist; aerialist.

  11. a silvery-green sunfish, Centrarchus macropterus, found from Virginia to Florida and through the lower Mississippi valley.

flier British  
/ ˈflaɪə /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of flyer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of flier

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at fly 2, -er 1

Explanation

Go to a career fair and you'll be accosted with fliers or leaflet advertisements for the many companies there. Often fliers are a waste of paper because they get thrown away. Just like the paper fliers that people hand to you on the street that end up flying into a trash cans, a flier can also mean someone who flies or travels by air. You might also see the word spelled flyer, which works too. A frequent flier is a person who travels a lot. Get enough frequent flier miles on an airline and you could fly somewhere for free.

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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.

Hooker Dan Sheehan and flanker Josh van der Flier also return to the pack as Ronan Kelleher and Nick Timoney drop to the bench.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier drop to the bench while Dan Sheehan is not included.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Garry Ringrose and Josh van der Flier are recalled after missing the wins over Australia and Japan because of hamstring problems.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025

Joe McCarthy's foot injury means James Ryan starts in the second row alongside Tadhg Beirne, with Ryan Baird and Josh van der Flier alongside Conan in the back row.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2025

Try changing his name to Wing-Ding or SuperBird or Flier, and see if that works.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements

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.