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Synonyms

fleet

1 American  
[fleet] / flit /

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 American  
[fleet] / flit /

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 American  
[fleet] / flit /

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 British  
/ fliːt /

adjective

  1. rapid in movement; swift

  2. poetic fleeting; transient

"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

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

"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
fleet 2 British  
/ 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

"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

Fleet 3 British  
/ 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

"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

fleet 4 British  
/ fliːt /

noun

  1. a small coastal inlet; creek

"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

Other Word Forms

  • fleetly adverb
  • fleetness noun

Etymology

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. )

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.

The network employs fake invoices, mislabeled crude and a shadow fleet of tankers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Changes to the U.S. fleet could also hinder the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Curbside SOS serves individual drivers, while Honk caters to businesses like fleet managers or insurance companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The company has a fleet of more than 500 driverless cars in Wuhan.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

They swam by my mom like a fleet of small ships moving through the wreck, their sandy-brown skin gliding past her, caudal fins rippling like fabric through the water.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen