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fley

American  
[fley] / fleɪ /

verb

Chiefly Scot.
fleyed, fleying
  1. to frighten; terrify.


fley British  
/ fleɪ /

verb

  1. to be afraid or cause to be afraid

  2. (tr) to frighten away; scare

"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

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:

It will hae been some callant trying to fley us, that's a'.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 383, September 1847 by Various

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

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.

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

O I sleep saft, and I wake aft;   It's lang since sleeping was fleyed frae me!

From Lyra Heroica A Book of Verse for Boys by Various

Them that's ill fleyed are seldom sair hurt.

From The Proverbs of Scotland by Hislop, Alexander

To think I’ve borne a son to a calf that’s fleyed Of a sleeping woman’s back—his minney’s, and all!

From Krindlesyke by Gibson, Wilfrid Wilson

‘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

He wasnae easy fleyed, an' gaed straucht up to the wa's; and what suld he find there but a man, or the appearance of a man, sittin' in the inside upon a grave.

From Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4) Ghost Stories by French, Joseph Lewis

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