on the fly

Idioms  

1. In a hurry, on the run, as in I picked up some groceries on the fly. The transfer of this expression, which literally means “in midair or in flight,” dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on the fly

But in fairness to the state party, which had to create this process on the fly, Platner’s implosion left no good options.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026

Tuchel kept experimenting on the fly and the Three Lions clung on until extra time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

The justices do this increasingly on the fly and in the dark.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

And Mario Thompson, an elementary school principal who has been intimately involved in all his daughters’ careers, is having to negotiate all this on the fly.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

No scientific bureaucracy existed in the government to assume the task, so Watson created one on the fly.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik