fly

¹ American  

[flahy] / flaɪ /

noun

• flies
  plural

1. Also called true fly.  any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly.

2. any of various winged insects, as the mayfly or firefly.

3. Angling. a fishhook dressed with hair, feathers, silk, tinsel, etc., so as to resemble an insect or small fish, for use as a lure or bait.

4. Astronomy. Fly, the constellation Musca.

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idioms

1. fly in the ointment, a detrimental factor; detraction.

   If there's one fly in the ointment, it's that there may not be the money to finish the job.

fly ² American  

[flahy] / flaɪ /

verb (used without object)

• flies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flew,
  past
• flied,
  past participle,  past
• flown,
  past participle
• flying
  present participle

1. to move through the air using wings.

2. to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force or agency.

   bits of paper flying about.

3. to float or flutter in the air.

   flags flying in the breeze.

4. to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft.

5. to move suddenly and quickly; start unexpectedly.

   He flew from the room.

6. to change rapidly and unexpectedly from one state or position to another.

   The door flew open.

7. to flee; escape.

8. to travel in space.

   The probe will fly past the planet.

9. to move or pass swiftly.

   How time flies!

10. to move with an aggressive surge.

    A mother fox will fly at anyone approaching her kits.

11. Baseball.

    1. to bat a fly ball.

       He flied into right field.

    2. to fly out.

12. Informal. to be acceptable, believable, or feasible.

    It seemed like a good idea, but it just wouldn't fly.

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verb (used with object)

• flies,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flew,
  past
• flied,
  past participle,  past
• flown,
  past participle
• flying
  present participle

1. to make (something) float or move through the air.

   to fly a kite.

2. to operate (an aircraft, spacecraft, or the like).

3. to hoist aloft, as for display, signaling, etc..

   to fly a flag.

4. to operate an aircraft or spacecraft over.

   to fly the Pacific.

5. to transport or convey by air.

   We fly merchandise to Boston.

6. to escape from; flee.

   to fly someone's wrath.

7. Theater.

   1. to hang (scenery) above a stage by means of rigging supported by the gridiron.

   2. to raise (scenery) from the stage or acting area into the flies.

noun

• flies
  plural

1. a strip of material sewn along one edge of a garment opening for concealing buttons, zippers, or other fasteners.

2. a flap forming the door of a tent.

3. Also called tent fly.  a piece of canvas extending over the ridgepole of a tent and forming an outer roof.

4. an act of flying; a flight.

5. the course of a flying object, as a ball.

6. Baseball. fly ball.

7. British. a light, covered, public carriage drawn by one horse; hansom; hackney coach.

8. Machinery. a horizontal arm, weighted at each end, that pivots about the screw of a press so that when the screw is lowered the momentum of the fly will increase the force of the press.

9. Also called fan.  Horology. a regulating device for chime and striking mechanisms, consisting of an arrangement of vanes on a revolving axis.

10. Printing.

    1. (in some presses) the apparatus for removing the printed sheets to the delivery table.

    2. Also called flyboy.  (formerly) a printer's devil employed to remove printed sheets from a press.

11. (on a flag)

    1. the horizontal dimension of a flag as flown from a vertical staff.

    2. the end of the flag farther from the staff.

12. Also called fly loft.  Theater. flies. the space above the stage used chiefly for storing scenery and equipment.

13. Nautical. a propellerlike device streamed to rotate and transfer information on speed to a mechanical log.

verb phrase

1. fly out to be put out by hitting a fly ball that is caught by a player of the opposing team.

idioms

1. fly off the handle. handle.

2. fly blind,

   1. to operate an airplane, especially during conditions of poor visibility, relying solely on instruments for guidance.

   2. to proceed with a complex task in the absence of directions by using one's own ability to determine what procedures to follow.

3. fly in the face of, to act in defiance of (authority, custom, etc.). Also fly in the teeth of

4. go fly a kite,

   1. to put up with or get used to matters as they stand.

   2. to confine oneself to one's own affairs.

   3. to cease being a nuisance.

      If she gets mad enough she'll tell me to go fly a kite.

5. on the fly,

   1. during flight; before falling to the ground.

      to catch a baseball on the fly.

   2. hurriedly; without pausing.

      We had dinner on the fly.

6. let fly,

   1. to hurl or propel (a weapon, missile, etc.).

   2. to give free rein to an emotion.

      She let fly with a barrage of angry words.

fly ³ American  

[flahy] / flaɪ /

adjective

flyer, flyest

1. Slang. stylish, attractive, sophisticated, etc..

   She put on silver stilettos, her flyest outfit, and plenty of bling, ready to party till dawn.

2. British Slang. aware and worldly; clever; smart.

   Adults generally found him sly and conniving, but his teenage followers were convinced he was fly.

3. British Slang. dexterous; agile; nimble.

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fly ¹ British  

/ flaɪ /

adjective

1. knowing and sharp; smart

2. furtive or sneaky

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noun

1. in secret; sneakily

fly ² British  

/ flaɪ /

noun

1. any dipterous insect, esp the housefly, characterized by active flight See also horsefly blowfly tsetse fly crane fly

2. any of various similar but unrelated insects, such as the caddis fly, firefly, dragonfly, and chalcid fly

3. angling a lure made from a fish-hook dressed with feathers, tinsel, etc, to resemble any of various flies or nymphs: used in fly-fishing See also dry fly wet fly

4. (in southern Africa) an area that is infested with the tsetse fly

5. slang to drink alone

6. See amber

7. informal a slight flaw that detracts from value, completeness, or enjoyment

8. a person who watches others, while not being noticed himself or herself

9. informal he is no fool

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fly ³ British  

/ flaɪ /

verb

1. (intr) (of birds, aircraft, etc) to move through the air in a controlled manner using aerodynamic forces

2. to travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft

3. to operate (an aircraft or spacecraft)

4. to float, flutter, or be displayed in the air or cause to float, etc, in this way

   to fly a kite

   they flew the flag

5. to transport or be transported by or through the air by aircraft, wind, etc

6. (intr) to move or be moved very quickly, forcibly, or suddenly

   she came flying towards me

   the door flew open

7. (intr) to pass swiftly

   time flies

8. to escape from (an enemy, place, etc); flee

   he flew the country

9. (intr; may be foll by at or upon) to attack a person

10. (intr) to have a sudden outburst

    he flew into a rage again

11. (intr) (of money, etc) to vanish rapidly

12. (tr) falconry (of hawks) to fly at (quarry) in attack

    peregrines fly rooks

13. (tr) theatre to suspend (scenery) above the stage so that it may be lowered into view

14. 1. to procure money by an accommodation bill

    2. to release information or take a step in order to test public opinion

15. informal

    1. to have a high aim

    2. to prosper or flourish

16. See face

17. informal to lose one's temper

18. informal to leave suddenly

19. informal go away

20. informal

    1. to lose one's temper (with a person)

       she really let fly at him

    2. to shoot or throw (an object)

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noun

1. Also called: fly front.  (often plural) a closure that conceals a zip, buttons, or other fastening, by having one side overlapping, as on trousers

2. Also called: fly sheet. 

   1. a flap forming the entrance to a tent

   2. a piece of canvas drawn over the ridgepole of a tent to form an outer roof

3. a small air brake used to control the chiming of large clocks

4. the horizontal weighted arm of a fly press

5. 1. the outer edge of a flag

   2. the distance from the outer edge of a flag to the staff Compare hoist

6. a light one-horse covered carriage formerly let out on hire

7. an attempt

   I'll give it a fly

8. printing

   1. a device for transferring printed sheets from the press to a flat pile

   2. Also called: flyhand.  a person who collects and stacks printed matter from a printing press

   3. a piece of paper folded once to make four pages, with printing only on the first page

9. (plural) theatre the space above the stage out of view of the audience, used for storing scenery, etc

10. rare the act of flying

fly Scientific  

/ flī /

1. Any of numerous insects of the order Diptera, having one pair of wings and large compound eyes. Flies include the houseflies, horseflies, and mosquitoes.

2. See more at dipteran

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Usage

Plural word for fly The plural form of fly is flies. Words that end with a -y and are preceded by a consonant are made plural by changing the -y to -ies, as in party/parties, candy/candies, and duty/duties.  This can be confusing, because words that end with a -y and are preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) are pluralized by adding an -s to the end, as in chimney/chimneys and fray/frays.

Synonym Usage

Fly, flit, flutter, hover, soar refer to moving through the air as on wings. Fly is the general term: Birds fly. Airplanes fly. To flit is to make short rapid flights from place to place: A bird flits from tree to tree. To flutter is to agitate the wings tremulously, either without flying or in flying only short distances: A young bird flutters out of a nest and in again. To hover is to linger in the air, or to move over or about something within a narrow area or space: hovering clouds; a hummingbird hovering over a blossom. To soar is to (start to) fly upward to a great height usually with little advance in any other direction, or else to (continue to) fly at a lofty height without visible movement of the wings: Above our heads an eagle was soaring.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• flyability
  noun
• flyable
  adjective
• flyless
  adjective
• nonflyable
  adjective
• reflyable
  adjective
• unflyable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flies
  plural

Participles

• flying
  present
• flied
  past
• flown
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fly
  simple
• flies
  simple
• have flied
  perfect
• have flown
  perfect
• has flied
  perfect
• has flown
  perfect
• am flying
  progressive
• are flying
  progressive
• is flying
  progressive
• have been flying
  perfect progressive
• has been flying
  perfect progressive

Past

• flew
  simple
• flied
  simple
• had flied
  perfect
• had flown
  perfect
• was flying
  progressive
• were flying
  progressive
• had been flying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fly
  simple
• will have flied
  perfect
• will have flown
  perfect
• will be flying
  progressive
• will have been flying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of fly¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English flīe, Old English flēoge, flȳge; cognate with Middle Dutch vliege ( Dutch vlieg ), Old High German flioga ( German Fliege ); akin to fly ²

Origin of fly²

First recorded before 900; Middle English flīen, Old English flēogan; cognate with Old High German fliogan, German fliegen, Old Norse fljuga

Origin of fly³

First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of fly ²

Explanation

Fly describes moving through the air, like birds that fly in the sky, or getting something accepted, like your silly excuse that's not going to fly with your history teacher. Fly means "move through the air with wings," and it describes the movement of birds, airplanes, kites, and other things that float or move of their own accord above the ground. There are many other meanings of fly, including a buzzing insect with wings, a baseball hit high across a field, and the zipper on a pair of pants. As an adjective, fly means cool, though there's no guarantee it's still fly to use it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fly flies flyer flyest flew flied flown flying

The company expects the project to create at least 3,000 permanent jobs and hopes to fly its Starship rocket from the site for the first time in 2029.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

"They would not let that plane fly because it was too unsafe," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The Flamingo can fly for over 1,800 miles and carry a warhead of over 2,500 lbs, outmatching the Scalp in range and payload.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

But perhaps the most pervasive problem is the speed at which people fly down the road, he said, recalling trucks racing each other and kids doing wheelies on dirt bikes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Not even when pigs sprout wings and fly.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The Chicago-based airline already flies to more international destinations than its top competitors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Zipline, which started out a decade ago delivering blood and medical supplies in Rwanda, already flies food and retail orders in Texas and Arkansas for partners such as Walmart and Chipotle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Notably, neither scavengers nor flies that fed on the supposedly poisoned carcasses have perished -- creatures that typically succumb after consuming poisoned animals.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Noxious smoke and an influx of rats and flies attracted to rotting meat stored at the facility have tormented neighbors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Croaking frogs, buzzing flies, and tapping woodpeckers provide the background music.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

One pivotal moment comes when Mckenna Grace’s punk-singer character hands Tommy a charmingly Xeroxed flyer to a warehouse gig and gives out her phone number rather than a Snapchat handle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

You’ve made so much money in this long bull market, why not take a flyer here and there?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

By early February of that year, the company was days away from announcing its new plan to car dealers, including a fax-based marketing plan and promotional flyer, ready for final approval.

From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2026

"I'm an anxious flyer at the best of times," last year's Australian Open champion told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

She takes the flyer and, without another word, closes the door.

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

“If you have an outfit on, but you don’t have cologne on or you don’t smell good, do you even have the flyest fit on? What’s the point,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024

She told her fellow graduates and their families that they were “the flyest class ever to do it.”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2023

Unlike her fellow Jersey teens who insist that superheroes aren’t cool, Kamala Khan, the heroine of Marvel’s upcoming Ms. Marvel series, thinks capes are the flyest thing in the world.

From The Verge ● Mar. 15, 2022

In denim overalls, a matching jacket and red cap, he cruises out on what looks like the concert platform of the flyest club in town.

From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2021

How do you not know one of the flyest runners to ever take a lap?

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Fuel-export curbs spurred refineries to cut back on processing; travelers flew less, deterred by increased surcharges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

And we all know what happened to the guy who flew too close to the sun.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

On Monday, Rodri flew to Barcelona and told journalists at the airport that it is a "dream" to play for the Catalan side.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

On a trip to UC Irvine for orientation with her son, one flew into her long, curly hair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The birds flew and the chipmunks faded into the ground.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Central Florida’s Coco Jaimes flied out to end the inning, but the Knights had scored three to cut UCLA’s lead to 6-4.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026

That cut the Guardians’ lead to three runs before Will Smith flied out to deep center to end it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Freeman, however, flied out to leave more baserunners stranded.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025

He struck out in his next trip to the plate, then flied out to left in the fifth inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025

I ringed him up on the telephome And down he flied to me!

From The Bay and Padie Book Kiddie Songs by Cyril Dobbs

The company has flown Starship 13 times since early 2023, with its latest test being in late July.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Hordes of international influencers have flown to the U.S. specifically to try the crispy chicken and that renowned dipping sauce.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Here is my most unique experience _ flying in an F-16 flown by former Crespi QB Randy Redell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

The freed Russian soldiers are in Belarus and will be flown to Russia for rehabilitation after receiving psychological and medical care, the Russian defence ministry said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

She informed them that Stanislav Rada had been taken into custody and was being flown to a secret location somewhere in the north of France.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

The Shahed drones, now more like missiles, were capable of flying up to around 300 miles an hour—roughly three times as fast as older versions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Online flight trackers spotted a Boeing C-17 Globemaster flying from Riga, Latvia, to Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, long used by top visiting officials because of its relative proximity to the capital’s center.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Aasen was flying a drone for the Norwegian Orca Survey when he noticed an adult orca carrying the body of a deceased calf through a Norwegian fjord.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

The efforts included three helicopters flying Saturday night.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

That’s what I was doing, soaring and swooping, flying farther and farther away from Earth.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• circle
• climb
• cross
• drift
• float
• flutter
• glide
• operate
• pilot
• reach
• rush
• sail
• shoot
• speed
• swoop
• take off
• travel