fly

1 of 5

verb (1)

flew ˈflü How to pronounce fly (audio) ; flown ˈflōn How to pronounce fly (audio) ; flying

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move in or pass through the air with wings
bees flying around the hive
b
: to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space
bullets flying in all directions
c
: to float, wave, or soar in the air
flags flying at half-mast
2
a
: to take flight : flee
was forced to fly for his life when his enemies came into power
b
: to fade and disappear : vanish
mists flying before the morning sun
3
a
: to move, pass, or spread quickly
rumors were flying
b
: to be moved with sudden extreme emotion
flew into a rage
c
: to seem to pass quickly
the time simply flew
4
: to become expended or dissipated rapidly
After he became established in the town, his inheritance flew.
5
: to operate or travel in an airplane or spacecraft
They flew to Florida for their vacation.
6
: to work successfully : win popular acceptance
knew … a pure human-rights approach would not flyCharles Brydon

transitive verb

1
a
: to cause to fly, float, or hang in the air
flying a kite
b
: to operate (something, such as a balloon, aircraft, rocket, or spacecraft) in flight
c
: to journey over or through by flying
flew the Atlantic
2
a
: to flee or escape from
The bird had flown its cage.
b
: avoid, shun
fly such a talkative woman
3
: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft
Supplies were flown to the disaster area.

fly

2 of 5

noun (1)

plural flies
1
: the action or process of flying : flight
2
a
: a device consisting of two or more radial vanes capable of rotating on a spindle to act as a fan or to govern the speed of clockwork or very light machinery
b
3
flies plural : the space over a theater stage where scenery and equipment can be hung
4
: something attached by one edge: such as
a
: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth extending over the fastener
b(1)
: the length of an extended flag from its staff or support
(2)
: the outer or loose end of a flag
5
: a baseball hit high into the air
6
7
: a sheet of material (such as canvas) that is attachable to a tent for use as a double top or as a rooflike extension
8
: a football pass pattern in which the receiver runs straight downfield

fly

3 of 5

verb (2)

flied; flying

intransitive verb

: to hit a fly in baseball

fly

4 of 5

noun (2)

plural flies
1
: a winged insect
usually used in combination
mayflies
butterfly
2
a
: any of a large order (Diptera) of winged or rarely wingless insects (such as the housefly, mosquito, or gnat) that have the anterior wings functional, the posterior wings reduced to halteres, and segmented often headless, eyeless, and legless larvae compare maggot
b
: a large stout-bodied fly
3
: a fishhook dressed (as with feathers or tinsel) to suggest an insect

fly

5 of 5

adjective

flyer; flyest
1
chiefly African American English : impressively good, attractive, or stylish
The singer was spotted out and about … looking fly as ever in an all-black hooded outfit.Natalie Michie
… the Destiny's Child alum knew she was looking flyer than ever, stopping to pose for a few extra flirty photo opportunities as she arrived.McKenna Aiello
Mary J. [Blige] had a tough job following up on one of the flyest debut albums in the hip-hop nation. Instead of trying to outdo herself, she took her music to the next level …Gerald Dee
2
chiefly British : keen, artful
But Shakespeare never really fell foul of the secret police. He was too fly for that.Boris Johnson
Phrases
fly at
: to assail suddenly and violently
He flew at me in a rage.
fly blind
: to fly an airplane solely by instruments
fly high
: to be elated
She was flying high after winning the contest.
fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of
: to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of
His explanation flies in the face of the evidence.
on the fly
1
: in motion : busy
2
: while still in the air : without the ball bouncing
the home run carried 450 feet on the fly
3
: in a hurry and often without preparation : hastily, spontaneously
making decisions on the fly
4
: simultaneously with another task
software that handles formatting on the fly
fly in the ointment
: a detracting factor or element

Examples of fly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Pocketbook worries mount Since his return from the campaign trail, DeSantis has been flying around the state holding news conferences several times a week. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Jordan has since flown 34 aid drops, an operation that has recently been bolstered by aircraft from a burgeoning coalition, including Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States. Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024 Voyager 1 is currently 15.14 billion miles away (24.4 billion kilometers), flying through interstellar space at a speed of 38,000 miles per hour (23,612 kilometers per hour). Passant Rabie, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 Some of the most popular creators on TikTok — Like Vidya Gopalan and Mackenzie Ziegler— posted dozens of videos opening massive boxes of free merchandise, flying on private planes, and partying poolside. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024 The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, flew across the world to support Swift, also 34, during the fifth show of her six-night residency at Singapore’s National Stadium on Friday. Brendan Le, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 His role was known, but the identities of his seven collaborators mostly flew under the radar. Brent Lang, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 Some even fly on airplanes before they’re released back in the wild. Jason Gulley Catrin Einhorn, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Paramedics worked to try to stabilize Hutchins, who was eventually flown to a trauma center in Albuquerque. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
Noun
The tree of heaven, for instance, is a preferred home from the fly’s native range, but it’s not always guaranteed to land on that plant. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 The Fly Who Flew to Space, now available for pre-order,follows the tale of Flynn, a fly who isn't the best at school — but who nonetheless wants to chase its dreams of becoming an astronaut. Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Locating Longevity Genes Fruit flies, with their short lifespan of 40 to 50 days, are ideal for studying longevity. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Swarms of flies and a roach falling out of a paper towel dispenser in front of an inspector are on this week’s list of South Florida restaurants that failed inspection. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 The American counterpart to the Tsetse fly, which causes African sleeping sickness, kissing bugs bear a parasite from the same genus (Trypanosoma) in their feces. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024 The property opened for its first season this year, offering 53 miles of trails, access to Yellowstone National Park, excellent fly fishing, and the full-service farm-to-table Horn & Cantle restaurant and saloon. Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 Old food attracts flies and other pest and could possibly cause illness in the animal. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Feb. 2024 On the one hand, generative AI empowers robots to learn, adapt, and make complex decisions on the fly, mimicking some aspects of human cognition. Timothy Papandreou, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
From Kandi’s two-piece silver ensemble to Porsha Williams’s crystal top, the women were some of the flyest concertgoers at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium this weekend. Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 14 Aug. 2023 On stage and in magazine spreads, rappers have waged a Cold War about who could dress the flyest, wear the most outré thing, push the envelope the furthest. Jacob Gallagher, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2023 For four Wednesdays this summer, fans in the flyest pairs of sneakers and trendiest fashions lined up at a high rise in the city’s West Loop neighborhood. Shakeia Taylor, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2023 Loewe Paula’s Ibiza shorts in denim, $550 (Loewe) Be the flyest foo at the function with these denim Loewe shorts. The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan; akin to Old High German fliogan to fly and probably to Old English flōwan to flow

Noun (2)

Middle English flie, from Old English flēoge; akin to Old High German flioga fly, Old English flēogan to fly

Adjective

probably from fly entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of fly was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fly

Cite this Entry

“Fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fly

1 of 4 verb
flew ˈflü How to pronounce fly (audio) ; flown ˈflōn How to pronounce fly (audio) ; flying
1
a
: to move in or pass through the air with wings
b
: to move through the air or with the wind
also : to move through outer space
c
: to float or cause to float, wave, or soar in the air
flags flying
fly a kite
2
: to take flight : flee
3
: to move or pass swiftly
time flies
4
a
: to operate or travel in an aircraft or spacecraft
b
: to journey over or through by flying
fly the Atlantic
c
: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft

fly

2 of 4 noun
plural flies
1
a
: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth
b
: the outer fabric of a tent with a double top
c
: the length of an extended flag
also : the loose end of a flag
2
: a baseball hit high into the air

fly

3 of 4 verb
flied; flying
: to hit a fly in baseball

fly

4 of 4 noun
plural flies
1
: a winged insect
2
: two-winged fly
especially : one (as a housefly) that is large and has a stout body in comparison with others (as a mosquito)
3
: a fishhook covered to look like an insect
Etymology

Verb

Old English flēogan "to move through the air, fly"

Noun

Old English flēoge "flying insect"

Medical Definition

fly

noun
plural flies
1
: a winged insect
usually used in combination
emerging mayflies
a large butterfly
2
a
: any dipteran fly

called also true fly, two-winged fly

b
: a large and stout-bodied dipteran fly (as a horsefly)

Geographical Definition

Fly

geographical name

river 650 miles (1046 kilometers) long in southern New Guinea flowing southeast into the Gulf of Papua

More from Merriam-Webster on fly

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