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fly¹

(flī)

v. flew (fl), flown (flōn), fly·ing, flies (flīz)

v.intr.

1. To engage in flight, especially:

a. To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.

b. To travel by air: We flew to Dallas.

c. To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.

a. To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind: a kite flying above the playground.

b. To float or flap in the air: pennants flying from the masthead.

3. To move or be sent through the air with great speed: bullets flying in every direction; a plate that flew from my hands when I stumbled.

a. To move with great speed; rush or dart: The children flew down the hall.

b. To be communicated to many people: Rumors are flying about their breakup.

c. To flee; escape.

d. To hasten; spring: flew to her students' defense.

5. To pass by swiftly: a vacation flying by.

6. To be dissipated; vanish: All his money has flown.

7. past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.

a. To shatter or explode: The dropped plate flew into pieces.

b. To become suddenly emotional, especially angry: The driver flew into a rage.

9. Informal To gain acceptance or approval; go over: "However sophisticated the reasoning, this particular notion may not fly" (New York Times).

v.tr.

a. To cause to fly or float in the air: fly a kite; fly a flag.

b. Nautical To operate under (a particular flag): a tanker that flies the Liberian flag.

a. To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).

b. To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft: fly emergency supplies to a stricken area.

c. To pass over or through in flight: flew the coastal route in record time.

d. To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft: flew six missions into space.

a. To flee or run from: fly a place in panic.

b. To avoid; shun: fly temptation.

n. pl. flies

1. The act of flying; flight.

a. The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.

b. The flap of cloth that covers this opening.

3. A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.

4. A flyleaf.

5. Baseball A fly ball.

6. Sports In swimming, butterfly.

a. The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.

b. The outer edge of a flag.

8. A flywheel.

9. flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.

10. Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.

Phrasal Verb:

fly at

To attack fiercely; assault: The dogs flew at each other's throats.

Idioms:

fly high

To be elated: They were flying high after their first child was born.

fly off the handle Informal

To become suddenly enraged: flew off the handle when the train was finally canceled.

let fly

1. To shoot, hurl, or release: The troops let fly a volley of gunfire.

2. To lash out; assault: The mayor let fly with an angry attack on her critics.

on the fly

1. In a hurry or between pressing activities: took lunch on the fly.

2. While moving: The outfielder caught the ball on the fly.

3. In the air; in flight: The ball carried 500 feet on the fly.

4. While activity is ongoing: A coach can change players on the fly in hockey. This computer program compiles on the fly when a script is executed.

[Middle English flien, from Old English flēogan; see pleu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

flya·ble adj.

fly²

(flī)

n. pl. flies

a. Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.

b. Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.

2. A fishing lure simulating something a fish eats, such as a mayfly or a minnow, made by attaching materials such as feathers, tinsel, and colored thread to a fishhook.

Idiom:

fly in the ointment

A detrimental circumstance or detail; a drawback.

[Middle English flie, from Old English flēoge; see pleu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

fly³

(flī)

adj.

1. Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.

2. Slang Fashionable; stylish.

[Probably from FLY¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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