fleet
1[ fleet ]
/ flit /
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noun
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.
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Other definitions for fleet (2 of 3)
fleet2
[ fleet ]
/ flit /
adjective, fleet·er, fleet·est.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.
Nautical.
- to move or change the position of.
- to separate the blocks of (a tackle).
- to lay (a rope) along a deck.
Origin of fleet
2First recorded in 1520–30; probably from or akin to Old Norse fljótr “quick, speedy”
OTHER WORDS FROM fleet
fleetly, adverbfleetness, nounOther definitions for fleet (3 of 3)
fleet3
[ fleet ]
/ flit /
noun British Dialect.
an arm of the sea; inlet.
a creek; stream; watercourse.
the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.
Origin of fleet
3First recorded before 900; Middle English flete, Old English flēot “flowing water”; cognate with German Fliess “brook”; def. 3 is so called after the Fleet a stream, later covered and used as a sewer, near which the prison was located; cf. fleet1
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use fleet in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (1 of 4)
fleet1
/ (fliːt) /
noun
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
Word Origin for fleet
Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to float
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (2 of 4)
fleet2
/ (fliːt) /
adjective
rapid in movement; swift
poetic fleeting; transient
verb
Derived forms of fleet
fleetly, adverbfleetness, nounWord Origin for fleet
probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (3 of 4)
fleet3
/ (fliːt) /
noun
mainly Southeast English a small coastal inlet; creek
Word Origin for fleet
Old English flēot flowing water; see fleet 1
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (4 of 4)
Fleet
/ (fliːt) /
noun the Fleet
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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