Synonyms

let fly

Idioms

Discharge a missile or fire a weapon; also, attack verbally. For example, He let fly a rotten egg at the speaker, or They let fly some insults laced with four-letter words. The first usage dates from about a.d. 1000, the second from the late 1500s.

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.

The Dodgers scrapped his slider, mixed in a sweeper, and told him his arm was so good that he should stop trying to make perfect pitches and just let fly.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026

A couple of questions later, after defending his crowd sizes, he let fly with this:

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2024

With Montenegro sitting deeper and deeper, Vance let fly with a 25-yard effort which was well tipped over by Krstovic.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2024

Honestly, sometimes I’m just riding by and I realize that Kevin would probably enjoy hearing from me, so I park the bike, walk up to his front door, and let fly.

From Slate • Dec. 17, 2023

‘I has Her Majester’s permission!’ cried the BFG, and all at once he let fly with a whizzpopper that sounded as though a bomb had exploded in the room.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

let fly

Example Sentences

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