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fleet

2
[fleet]
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adjective, fleet·er, fleet·est.

swift; rapid: to be fleet of foot; a fleet horse.

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

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

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RELATED WORDS

rapidly, swiftly, speedily, quickly, directly, hastily, instantly, expeditiously, instantaneously, immediately, promptly, hurriedly, early, shortly, soon, quick, swift, pronto, apace, chop-chop

Nearby words

  1. fleecie,
  2. fleecy,
  3. fleein',
  4. fleek,
  5. fleer,
  6. fleet admiral,
  7. fleet air arm,
  8. fleet ballistic missile submarine,
  9. fleet chief petty officer,
  10. fleet rate

Origin of fleet

2
before 900; Middle English fleten to be fleet, Old English flēotan to float; see float
Related formsfleet·ly, adverbfleet·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fleetly

British Dictionary definitions for fleetly

fleet

1

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

fleet

2

adjective

rapid in movement; swift
poetic fleeting; transient

verb

(intr) to move rapidly
(intr) archaic to fade away smoothly; glide
(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)
(intr) obsolete to float or swim
(tr) obsolete to cause (time) to pass rapidly
Derived Formsfleetly, adverbfleetness, noun

Word Origin for fleet

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

fleet

3

noun

mainly Southeast English a small coastal inlet; creek

Word Origin for fleet

Old English flēot flowing water; see fleet 1

Fleet

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for fleetly
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper