flying

[flahy-ing]

adjective

1. making flight or passing through the air; that flies: fly.

   a flying insect; an unidentified flying object.

2. floating, fluttering, waving, hanging, or moving freely in the air.

   flying banners; flying hair.

3. extending through the air.

4. moving swiftly.

5. made while moving swiftly.

   a flying leap.

6. very hasty or brief; fleeting or transitory.

   a flying visit; a flying remark.

7. designed or organized for swift movement or action.

8. fleeing, running away, or taking flight.

   They pursued the flying enemy.

9. Nautical.,  (of a sail) having none of its edges fastened to spars or stays.

noun

1. the act of moving through the air on wings; flight.

adverb

1. Nautical.,  without being fastened to a yard, stay, or the like.

   a sail set flying.

flying

/ ˈflaɪɪŋ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) hurried; fleeting

   a flying visit

2. (prenominal) designed for fast action

3. (prenominal) moving or passing quickly on or as if on wings

   a flying leap

   the flying hours

4. hanging, waving, or floating freely

   flying hair

5. nautical (of a sail) not hauled in tight against the wind

noun

1. the act of piloting, navigating, or travelling in an aircraft

2. (modifier) relating to, capable of, accustomed to, or adapted for flight

   a flying machine

Other Word Forms

• nonflying adjective
• unflying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flying¹

before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English flēogende (adj.). See fly ², -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

The first officer, Clive Kunder, who was the pilot directly responsible for flying, did pull up at the end.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Executives also told reporters that the company was taking time to get the software right, which they said would allow them to “leapfrog” the test plan by flying semiautonomously.

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Temperatures hovered in the low 40s — brisk, but manageable — and a steady wind kept the giant balloons flying lower than usual.

Read more on Salon

Washington has also carried out multiple shows of force with B-52 and B-1B bombers flying near Venezuela's coast.

Read more on Barron's

The one presented is about as elegant as a demolition derby conducted at a landfill, with so many elements flying around that the movie ends in a thick cloud of culpability.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• aerial 
• floating 
• soaring