fleet

¹

[fleet]

noun

1. the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.

2. the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.

3. a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.

4. a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership.

   He owns a fleet of cabs.

5. a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.

fleet

²

[fleet]

adjective

fleeter, fleetest 

1. swift; rapid.

   to be fleet of foot;

   a fleet horse.

verb (used without object)

1. to move swiftly; fly.

2. Nautical.,  to change position; shift.

3. Archaic.

   1. to glide along like a stream.

   2. to fade; vanish.

4. Obsolete.,  to float; drift; swim.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.

   Synonyms: beguile, hasten, speed

2. Nautical.

   1. to move or change the position of.

   2. to separate the blocks of (a tackle).

   3. to lay (a rope) along a deck.

fleet

³

[fleet]

noun

British Dialect.

1. an arm of the sea; inlet.

2. a creek; stream; watercourse.

3. the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.

fleet

¹

/ fliːt /

adjective

1. rapid in movement; swift

2. poetic,  fleeting; transient

verb

1. (intr) to move rapidly

2. archaic,  (intr) to fade away smoothly; glide

3. (tr) nautical

   1. to change the position of (a hawser)

   2. to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in

   3. to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)

4. obsolete,  (intr) to float or swim

5. obsolete,  (tr) to cause (time) to pass rapidly

fleet

²

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a number of warships organized as a tactical unit

2. all the warships of a nation

3. a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership

Fleet

³

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer

2. Also called: Fleet Prison. (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors

fleet

⁴

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a small coastal inlet; creek

Other Word Forms

• fleetly adverb
• fleetness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English flete, fleot(e), Old English flēot “bay, estuary; boat,” derivative of flēotan float ( def. ); fleet ²

Origin of fleet²

First recorded in 1520–30; probably from or akin to Old Norse fljótr “quick, speedy”

Origin of fleet³

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. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain

Origin of fleet²

Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to _float

Origin of fleet³

Old English flēot flowing water; see _fleet ¹

Example Sentences

The combined Russian and Chinese fleet of satellites has increased by 70% over the past decade.

From BBC

The prince's younger brother, Harry, gets one fleeting mention in the show.

From BBC

The captain of an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" of vessels used to evade sanctions has been charged by French authorities.

From BBC

French soldiers have boarded an oil tanker believed to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet", used to evade sanctions imposed because of the war in Ukraine.

From BBC

Another flagship project, called Eastern Flank Watch, is aimed at fortifying the EU's eastern borders by sea, air and land to protect against so-called hybrid warfare, as well as from Russia's shadow fleet.

From BBC

Related Words

• armada 
• flotilla 
• navy 
• squadron