fley
Americanverb
verb
-
to be afraid or cause to be afraid
-
(tr) to frighten away; scare
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fley
1175–1225; Middle English flaien, fleien, Old English -flīgan (in ā-flȳgan ); cognate with Old Norse fleygia to cause to fly. Cf. fly 2
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.
See Examples For:
Have you not reason to waye that whatsoever ether Virgil did write of his gnatt or Ovid of his fley was all covertly to declare abuse?...
From Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism by Clark, Donald Lemen
Let's hope you're a better guide than constable, young man, or, as that old fellow said in the road this morning, we'll fley the bird and not grip him.
From The Shadow of a Crime A Cumbrian Romance by Caine, Hall, Sir
Sigrun asks Helge: Hverir lata fljota fley vid backa, hvar hermegir heima eigud?
From Teutonic Mythology, Vol. 1 of 3 Gods and Goddesses of the Northland by Ph.D.
Waefu' Want and Hunger fley me, Glowrin' by the hallan en'; Sair I fecht them at the door, But aye I'm eerie they come ben.
From Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Burns, Robert
“It will hae been some callant trying to fley us, that’s a’.
From Tales from Blackwood Volume 4 by Various
He wasna easy fleyed, an’ gaed straucht up to the wa’s; an’ what suld he find there but a man, or the appearance o’ a man, sittin’ in the inside upon a grave.
From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 5 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis
“Dinna be fleyed, my bonny burdy,” she said, addressing the unbonnetted young lady, who was still apparently dozing in the corner.
From Tales from Blackwood, Volume 7 by Willis, Herbert
Aw'm noan fleyed ov him, but aw met not be able to keep mo howd ov him.
From Stephen Archer and Other Tales by MacDonald, George
I dinna ken, my lord; but that's the only kin' o' ghaist I wad be fleyed at—at least 'at I wad rin frae.
From Malcolm by MacDonald, George
‘O I sleep saft, and I wake aft, It’s lang since sleeping was fleyed frae me; Gie my service back to my wyfe and bairns, And a’ gude fellows that speer for me.’
From Ballads of Scottish Tradition and Romance Popular Ballads of the Olden Times - Third Series by Sidgwick, Frank
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.
