flying fox

American  

noun

1. any large fruit bat of the genus Pteropus, of Old World tropical regions, having a foxlike head.

2. Australian. an aerial conveyor belt or suspended carrier operating on cables, often used to convey ore, dirt, or the like, over rivers and gorges in mining or construction operations.

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flying fox British  

noun

1. any large fruit bat, esp any of the genus Pteropus of tropical Africa and Asia: family Pteropodidae

2. a cable mechanism used for transportation across a river, gorge, etc

3. a cable mechanism ridden for fun at an adventure playground, etc

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Etymology

Origin of flying fox

First recorded in 1750–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flying fox

Borneo island has one of the world's largest tracts of rainforest and hosts orangutans, long-nosed monkeys, clouded leopards, pig-tailed macaques, flying fox bats and the smallest rhinos on the planet.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025

Here, a fruit bat called the flying fox exists alongside mangrove trees, helping to pollinate them.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 2, 2023

Sudden heat waves in Melbourne, Australia, can cause mass deaths in the city’s flying fox population.

From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

There is a type of megabat known as a flying fox, and within that sub-species the Bismarck masked flying fox is known to be able to lactate.

From Salon ● May 28, 2022

To facilitate this latter work the sealers placed at our disposal a "flying fox" which ran from sea-level to the top of Wireless Hill, and which they had erected for the carriage of blubber.

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Sir Douglas Mawson