flying colors
Americanplural noun
idioms
Etymology
Origin of flying colors
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
JPMorgan and Bank of America passed the tests with flying colors after the Federal Reserve last year began releasing details of the tests in advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
But crises like this are tests of leadership, and CEO George Kurtz passed with flying colors.
From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026
When it came to the "One Hand Clapping" sessions, McCartney wanted to test Wings’ roadworthiness, an exam that the post-Beatles outfit passed with flying colors.
From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2025
For my part, I passed with flying colors the screens for gestational diabetes and hypertension.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2023
The camp passed the inspection with flying colors.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
