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.
A specially modified Airbus A350 plane touched down in France Tuesday after a record 24-hour test flight from Australia, ahead of it joining Qantas's fleet next year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 20 satellites, dubbed “V3” devices by the company, are designed to handle much more data than the satellites SpaceX currently lofts to orbit using its Falcon 9 fleet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The company also said Tuesday that it entered long-term lease agreements to add four 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters to its cargo fleet, which are expected to enter service in the first half of next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
An EMR spokesperson said any suggestion that the Hitachi Rail Class 810 fleet did not meet the required safety standards was "incorrect", and added it continued "to engage in discussions with RMT regarding this dispute".
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
On Saturday, the twentieth of December, in the year 1606, the fleet fell from London....
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Fleet sales were also strong, supported by robust demand from commercial and government customers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The military also said a key naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt was hit.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Iran damaged part of the headquarters for the Navy's Fifth Fleet, which covers the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
This year, Simpson was named Fleet Feet’s chief running officer and joined FloTrack’s broadcast team for Diamond League recaps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
I'm sitting in the driver’s seat with my iPod plugged in and the heat blasting, trying to pick between Tegan and Sara and the Fleet Foxes.
From "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
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
A Fawn once said to a Stag: "Father, you are larger and fleeter than the dogs, and, besides, you have huge antlers for defence; why, then, are you so afraid of the dogs?"
From Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral Tales by Tolstoy, Leo, graf
Edney, the fleetest player on the team, had been doing this sort of thing since taking his talents from the home driveway to youth league games at Victoria Park gym in Carson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2020
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
But Lufra,—whom from Douglas' side Nor bribe nor threat could e'er divide, The fleetest hound in all the North,— Brave Lufra saw and darted forth.
From To Your Dog and To My Dog by Kinnicutt, Lincoln Newton
For Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg, a new aircraft is not the priority for airlines, insisting that they are looking for better performance from existing fleets and, crucially, more reliable and durable engines.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Rather than operating robotaxi fleets itself, the company wants to provide its technology, AI and vehicles to local partners and leave them to manage the day-to-day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
McMahon also cites a study that found a 20% crash reduction in commercial fleets using telematics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
It's called hybridisation – combining traditional crew-operated weapons platforms like frigates, with fleets of uncrewed and autonomous systems.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 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
Still the hounds fleeted on, and I never took my eye off them, but urged my horse in their wake, taking every turn they did, and swerving from nothing.
From Kate Coventry An Autobiography by Whyte-Melville, G. J.
Years, years fleeted over— I stood at her foot: The bud had grown blossom, The blossom was fruit.
From The Golden Treasury Selected from the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language and arranged with Notes by Various
Like gentle ghosts they fleeted along with little more than a muffled sound, for their axles turned in ball-sockets and their warning bells were silent save when touched.
From Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished A Tale of City Arab Life and Adventure by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)
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.
But don’t worry, Netflix has a solution to stop that fleeting, inconsequential feeling: AI!
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Nawaz said the US-Pakistan relationship would need such headwinds addressed to move past reliance on the possibly fleeting bonhomie of its leaders.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
“It’s a fleeting thrill,” said Gordon at Schwab about chips stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
For a fleeting few years before Prigozhin’s death, Wagner was a powerhouse in Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Art is long, and Time is fleeting; And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating Funeral marches to the grave.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
