flying fox
Americannoun
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any large fruit bat of the genus Pteropus, of Old World tropical regions, having a foxlike head.
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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.
noun
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any large fruit bat, esp any of the genus Pteropus of tropical Africa and Asia: family Pteropodidae
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a cable mechanism used for transportation across a river, gorge, etc
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a cable mechanism ridden for fun at an adventure playground, etc
Etymology
Origin of flying fox
First recorded in 1750–60
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.
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
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
Some farmers supplemented their income with fruit orchards, planting trees next to open-air pigsties — perfect flying fox buffets.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2021
The flying "fox" is one of the curiosities of Sumatra.
From Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania by Gilson, Jewett Castello
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.
