English Dictionary

Definition of “flying”

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flying (ˈflaɪɪŋPronunciation for flying) 

Definitions

adjective

  1. (prenominal) hurried; fleeting  ⇒ a flying visit 
  2. (prenominal) designed for fast action
  3. (prenominal) moving or passing quickly on or as if on wings  ⇒ a flying leap the flying hours 
  4. hanging, waving, or floating freely  ⇒ flying hair 
  5. nautical (of a sail) not hauled in tight against the wind

noun

  1. the act of piloting, navigating, or travelling in an aircraft
  2. (modifier) relating to, capable of, accustomed to, or adapted for flight  ⇒ a flying machine 
related adjective
volant

1fly1 (flaɪPronunciation for fly1) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms: flies, flying, flew, flown
  1. (intr) (of birds, aircraft, etc) to move through the air in a controlled manner using aerodynamic forces
  2. to travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
  3. to operate (an aircraft or spacecraft)
  4. to float, flutter, or be displayed in the air or cause to float, etc, in this way  ⇒ to fly a kite they flew the flag 
  5. to transport or be transported by or through the air by aircraft, wind, etc
  6. (intr) to move or be moved very quickly, forcibly, or suddenly  ⇒ she came flying towards me the door flew open 
  7. (intr) to pass swiftly  ⇒ time flies 
  8. to escape from (an enemy, place, etc); flee  ⇒ he flew the country 
  9. (intr; may be foll by at or upon) to attack a person
  10. (intr) to have a sudden outburst  ⇒ he flew into a rage again 
  11. (intr) (of money, etc) to vanish rapidly
  12. (tr) falconry (of hawks) to fly at (quarry) in attack  ⇒ peregrines fly rooks 
  13. (tr) theatre to suspend (scenery) above the stage so that it may be lowered into view
  14. See fly a kite
  15. See fly high
  16. See fly in the face of
  17. See fly off the handle
  18. See fly the coop
  19. See go fly a kite
  20. See let fly

noun

Word forms: plural, flies
  1. fly front(often plural) a closure that conceals a zip, buttons, or other fastening, by having one side overlapping, as on trousers
  2. fly sheet
    1. a flap forming the entrance to a tent
    2. a piece of canvas drawn over the ridgepole of a tent to form an outer roof
  3. a small air brake used to control the chiming of large clocks
  4. the horizontal weighted arm of a fly press
    1. the outer edge of a flag
    2. the distance from the outer edge of a flag to the staff Compare hoist (sense 9)
  6. British a light one-horse covered carriage formerly let out on hire
  7. Australian New Zealand an attempt  ⇒ I'll give it a fly 
  8. printing 
    1. a device for transferring printed sheets from the press to a flat pile
    2. Also called flyhanda person who collects and stacks printed matter from a printing press
    3. a piece of paper folded once to make four pages, with printing only on the first page
  9. (plural) theatre the space above the stage out of view of the audience, used for storing scenery, etc
  10. rare the act of flying

Alternative Forms

ˈflyable adjective

Word Origin

Old English flēogan ; related to Old Frisian fliāga , Old High German fliogan , Old Norse fljūga

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= take wing, soar, glide, take to the air wing, mount, sail, hover, flutter, flit,
= jet, travel by plane go by air travel in an aircraft
= pilot, control, operate, steer, manoeuvre, navigate, be at the controls aviate,
= airlift, send by plane take by plane take in an aircraft
= flutter, wave, float, flap,
= display, show, flourish, brandish,
= rush, race, shoot, career, speed, tear, dash, hurry, barrel (along) sprint, bolt, dart, zoom, hare, hasten, whizz, scoot, scamper, burn rubber be off like a shot
= pass swiftly pass, glide, slip away, roll on, flit, elapse, run its course, go quickly
= leave, disappear, get away, depart, run, escape, flee, take off, run from shun, clear out, light out, abscond, decamp, take flight, do a runner, run for it, cut and run, fly the coop, beat a retreat, make a quick exit make a getaway show a clean pair of heels, skedaddle, hightail, take a powder, hasten away, make your escape take it on the lam take to your heels

Usage examples

  • I'm flying over a jigsaw of lakes, rivers, birch forests, small farm holdings.
    Mark Burnell, CHAMELEON (2002)
  • We are flying our light kite on a 90 degrees apparent angle.
    Yachting Boating World (2005)
  • He was only there a year when the outbreak of war found him in the Royal Air Force, flying Lancaster bombers over Germany.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • They hid in an abandoned cafe, then crawled out of a window into a ditch to shelter from the bullets flying overhead.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • By now, people in the outback are always within 90 minutes flying time from a Flying Doctor base.
    Jim Leavesley, George Biro, THE MEDICAL MYSTERIES E-OMNIBUS (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'F'

Related Terms

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