flyer
Americannoun
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flyers
plural
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Textiles.
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a rotating device that adds twist to the slubbing or roving and winds the stock onto a spindle or bobbin in a uniform manner.
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a similar device for adding twist to yarn.
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noun
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a person or thing that flies or moves very fast
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an aviator or pilot
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informal a long flying leap; bound
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a fast-moving machine part, esp one having periodic motion
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a rectangular step in a straight flight of stairs Compare winder
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athletics an informal word for flying start
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a speculative business transaction
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a small handbill
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of flyer
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at fly 2, -er 1
Explanation
A flyer can be something or someone that flies on a plane, but another meaning is a handbill or advertising sheet handed out to people on the street. Because it's designed to go far, it gained the name flyer. As far back as the 15th Century, Middle English used the word flyer to refer to something that travels quickly through the air, generally a bird or projectile. The connection with a person came about later, when air travel became more common. If you are a frequent flyer, you travel a lot. If you frequently post flyers, maybe you're in a band. Note: it doesn't matter if you spell the word flyer or "flier," as both are correct, but don't use both in one piece of writing.
Vocabulary lists containing flyer
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.
See Examples For:
She’s not a good flyer and has always driven.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Mr. James’s main characters are men who have answered a flyer advertising auditions for a local theater performance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
He came back to Iowa to meet them again a year later, this time with a date, a venue and a flyer he could hand to them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Paul, 67, a retired postman from Lowestoft, Suffolk, said that in 2008 his father received a flyer explaining how to protect his assets by entrusting his home over to Long and UWP.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
I reached in and pulled out Mr. Neely’s flyer, scanning straight past the happy egg to the bottom.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
United flyers have disposable income and want to spend on experiences, even as prices rise due to higher fuel costs, CFO Mike Leskinen says during a Morgan Stanley conference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
American Airlines wants its flyers to have screens – and not just the ones its passengers bring on board with them.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Delta and United have been among the pioneers of segmentation in economy, and they’ve also focused on attracting richer flyers.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
The event was advertised almost exclusively offline, with flyers wheatpasted to construction scaffolding and guidebooks available at independent bookstores.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
When we get there, Mrs. Ruth and Mrs. Peck are already putting flyers in people’s hands.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
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.
