Pronunciations (5)
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/flaɪ/
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[ˈflaɪ̯]
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[ˈflɑ̟ɪ̯]
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
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[ˈflɒ̈ɪ̯]
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
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[ˈflaː]
Noun
Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
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More examples (1)
Devils Lake is where I began my career as a limnologist in 1964, studying the lake’s neotenic salamanders and chironomids, or midge flies. […] The Devils Lake Basin is an endorheic, or closed, basin covering about 9,800 square kilometers in northeastern North Dakota.
Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
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More examples (2)
When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.
October in Orania can be charming. When the sun sets, long ribbons of burnt orange settle on the horizon. The flies and mosquitoes that come with the oppressive summer heat haven’t arrived yet. It is Magdalene Kleynhans’ favourite time of year. “You can sit outside until late into the night,” says the businesswoman, whose family spend much of their time outdoors. Her children fish from the banks of the Orange River whenever they choose. Kleynhans leaves the house unlocked. “It’s a good life. It’s a big privilege.”
Those or any similar but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly, butterfly, or gallfly.
A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
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I went on trying for fish along the western bank down the river, but only small trout rose at my flies, and a score was the total catch.
A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
A witch's familiar.
Usage- Obsolete
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a trifling fly, none of your great familiars
A parasite.
Usage- Obsolete
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The fly that plays too near the flame burns in it.
A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
A butterfly (combination of four options).
Verb
To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
Usage- Intransitive
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Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter.
The probe flew beyond the solar system.
More examples (7)
The Concorde flew from Paris to New York faster than any other passenger airplane.
It takes about eleven hours to fly from Frankfurt to Hong Kong.
The little fairy flew home on the back of her friend, the giant eagle.
Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
The railway is still vital to Jordan's export trade, but in spite of the poor quality of the road, diesel lorries are gradually robbing it of freight traffic, and anyone who can afford to fly does so rather than face the long desert journey by rail.
I want to reach out and touch the sky / I want to touch the sun, but I don't need to fly
Flying using only the power of the sun is an enticing prospect. But manned solar-powered aircraft are fragile and slow, […].
To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface. To take a flight on a plane; to pilot or crew a plane.
Usage- Intransitive
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My airline needs me to get clearance before I can fly again.
If we want to fly today, we need to leave for the airport right now.
To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface. To be in the winged adult stage.
Usage- Intransitive
- of moths or butterflies
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This species flies from late summer until frost.
To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface. To be accepted, come about or work out.
Usage- Colloquial
- Figurative
- Intransitive
- of a proposal
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Let's see if that idea flies.
You know, I just don't think that's going to fly. Why don't you spend your time on something better?
To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
Usage- Transitive
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Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean.
Birds fly their prey to their nest to feed it to their young.
More examples (4)
Each day the postal service flies thousands of letters around the globe.
The brave black flag I fly.
A solar-powered unmanned aerial system (a UAS, more commonly called a drone) could fly long, lonely missions that conventional aircraft would not be capable of.
This area, referred to as the fly loft, should typically be two and a half times taller than the proscenium opening in order to fly the scenery above the vertical sightlines of the first row of the audience.
To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like. To arrange for someone to take a flight.
Usage- Transitive
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We flew the kids out to see their grandparents.
To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like. To pilot a plane over a region or on a route.
Usage- Transitive
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This is the first time I flew the Pacific.
I'm hoping to fly the London-New York route so I can see the Big Apple again.
To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like. To complete (a goal, task, mission, etc.) while crewing an aircraft or spacecraft.
Usage- Transitive
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NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is departing the agency on Wednesday after 30 years of service. Throughout his career, he flew four missions, spent 549 days in space, and completed nine spacewalks in support of the International Space Station.
To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like. To hunt with a hawk.
Usage- Transitive
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We'll fly the partridge, or go rouse the deer.
To wave or flutter; to cause to wave or flutter.
Usage- ergative
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When the wind picked up, her hair flew back behind her head.
In her dance, she holds her hands above her head to fly those colorful ribbons in the air.
To wave or flutter; to cause to wave or flutter. To operate a kite (A lightweight toy or other device... carried on the wind and tethered and controlled from the ground by one or more lines).
Usage- ergative
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Why don’t you go outside and fly kites, kids? The wind is just perfect.
To wave or flutter; to cause to wave or flutter. To display (a flag) on a flagpole; to be displayed on a flagpole.
Usage- ergative
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We flew the state flag under the national flag.
The flag flew at half-mast.
More examples (1)
The American flag flies in every state and territory.
To wave or flutter; to cause to wave or flutter. To display (a flag) on a flagpole; to be displayed on a flagpole. To proudly and openly make one's allegiances or viewpoint apparent.
Usage- ergative
- Figurative
- Transitive
- Examples
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She's really letting the freak flag fly.
Only one candidate is willing to fly the conservative flag boldly.
To wave or flutter; to cause to wave or flutter. To display (a flag) on a flagpole; to be displayed on a flagpole. To symbolically rule over or control.
Usage- ergative
- Figurative
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The French flag flew over Louisiana until 1803.
The king endeavored to fly his nation's flag over new territories.
To drain away or be expended quickly.
Usage- Intransitive
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The family fortune flew in a few short years.
To drain away or be expended quickly. To vanish; to fade away.
Usage- Dated
- Intransitive
- Synonyms
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The mist flew by noon.
To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.
Usage- Figurative
- Intransitive
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He flew down the hill on his bicycle.
It's five o'clock already. Doesn't time fly?
More examples (3)
Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race.
The dark waves murmured as the ship flew on.
After yet another missed penalty by Kvirikashvili from bang in front of the posts, England scored again, centre Tuilagi flying into the line and touching down under the bar.
To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten. To move suddenly, or with violence; to carry out an act suddenly or swiftly.
Usage- Figurative
- Intransitive
- Examples
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a door flies open
a bomb flies apart
More examples (2)
And in respect of the great necessity there is, my darling, for more employments being within the reach of Woman than our civilisation has as yet assigned to her, don’t fly at the unfortunate men, even those men who are at first sight in your way, as if they were the natural oppressors of your sex […]
I was upstairs, trying hastily to fix my face and unredden my eyes when I heard a car on the drive and flew to a window to make sure that it was David.
To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten. To proceed with great success.
Usage- Figurative
- Intransitive
- Examples
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His career is really flying at the moment.
One moment the company was flying high, the next it was on its knees.
To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten. To avoid or shun.
Usage- Archaic
- Figurative
- Intransitive
- Literary
- Transitive
- Examples
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I must fly the temptation of drink.
To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten. To flee, to escape (from).
Usage- Transitive or intransitive
- Archaic
- Figurative
- Intransitive
- Poetic
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My bird flew the cage.
Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!
More examples (6)
[V]pon a ſodaine, / As Falſtaffe, ſhe, and I, are newly met, / Let them [children dressed like "urchins, ouphes and fairies"] from forth a ſaw-pit ruſh at once / With ſome diffuſed ſong: Vpon their ſight / We two, in great amazedneſſe will flye: […]
to fly the favours of so good a king
Fly, ere evil intercept thy flight.
Sleep flies the wretch.
And boyhood is a summer sun Whose waning is the dreariest one — For all we live to know is known And all we seek to keep hath flown — […]
He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss. “Fly, you fools!” he cried, and was gone.
Noun
The action of flying; flight.
Usage- Obsolete
An act of flying.
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There was a good wind, so I decided to give the kite a fly.
A fly ball.
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.
Usage- India
- Obsolete
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More examples (1)
[T]he main part of the operation of pitching the tent, consisting of raising the flies, may be performed, and shelter afforded, without the walls, &c., being present.
The cavalcade drew up in line, / Pitch'd the marquee, and went to dine. / The bearers and the servants lie / Under the shelter of the fly.
After I had changed my riding-habit for my one other gown, I came out to join the general under the tent-fly.
A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
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Ha-ha! Your fly's undone!
your fly's undone/down
More examples (3)
your flies are undone/down (same meaning)
February 2014 Y-Front Fly Y-Front is a registered trademark for a special front fly turned upside down to form a Y owned by Jockey® International. The first Y-Front® brief was created by Jockey® more than 70 years ago.
June 2014 The Hole In Men’s Underwear: Name And Purpose Briefs were given an opening in the front. The point of this opening (the ‘fly’) was to make it easier to pee with clothes on
The moving portion of an extendable ladder.
The free edge of a flag.
The horizontal length of a flag.
An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
The part of a weather vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
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to the fly of the compass, which before was made equal, I was still constrained to put some small piece of wire on the south part there
Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).
Usage- Historical
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A fly carried him rapidly to Lady Clavering’s house from the station […]
More examples (1)
Can I get a fly, or a carriage of any kind? Is it too late? I dismissed the fly a mile distant from the park, and getting my directions from the driver, proceeded by myself to the house.
A glass coach, it may be as well to observe, is a carriage and pair hired by the day, and a fly a one-horse carriage hired in a similar manner.
More examples (5)
As we left the house in my fly, which had been waiting, Van Helsing said:— ‘Tonight I can sleep in peace [...].’
“[…] She takes the whole thing with desperate seriousness. But the others are all easy and jovial—thinking about the good fare that is soon to be eaten, about the hired fly, about anything.”
And, driving back in the fly, Macmaster said to himself that you couldn't call Mrs. Duchemin ordinary, at least.
Then we read at New Southgate and Colney Hatch, that "Cabs are on stand at station from 9 a.m. to departure of last down train. Private omnibuses, flys and other conveniences can be had at short notice on application to Messrs. Walker & Son." At country stations we are often told, "a fly may be obtained on application to Mrs. Brown of the Black Dog," or some other cheery information.
Chepstow is good for excursions, and Bradshaw tells me I can get a fly to Tintern Abbey, although the fare structure seems particularly complicated. Alternatively, I could go for a simpler choice and just opt for "single horse, 1s", although I doubt I'd survive to tell the tale.
In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
Usage- Historical
A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
Usage- Historical
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
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More examples (1)
It was as if I been idling on a brightly lit stage-set of a country garden, ripe with every sort of pastoral fancy, and then had turned a flat and come on the stagehands and the wings, the propped sets, the men working in the flies—all the dark mechanics that produced the pretty picture the audience saw.
Waste cotton.
Verb
To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
Usage- Intransitive
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Jones flied to right in his last at-bat.
Adjective
Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
Usage- Dated
- Slang
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More examples (1)
be assured, O man of sin—pilferer of small wares and petty larcener—that there is an eye within keenly glancing from some loophole contrived between accordions and tin breastplates that watches your every movement, and is "fly,"— to use a term peculiarly comprehensible to dishonest minds—to the slightest gesture of illegal conveyancing.
Clandestine, surreptitious
Usage- Slang
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Some say God was an alien that tampered with our DNA, the 3 kings followed ufos & Mary had a fly shag 🤔🤫
Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
Usage- Slang
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He's pretty fly.
when Ortega got fixed up in his fly duds like that, an ord'nary man's overcoat wouldn't make 'im a pair o' socks.
More examples (6)
Give it to me, baby! Uh huh, uh huh! And all the girlies say, I’m pretty fly for a white guy.
Starring the light-skinned Ron O'Neal with his shoulder-length perm and fly threads, Super Fly exudes a sense of black pride as O'Neal bucks the dope game, dismisses his white girlfriend, and beats The Man at his own hustle.
A fly sister rolled in with a suitcase full of hip-hop novels called The Glamorous Life, and an African brother with long dreads wanted to sell them some incense and some fake Jacob watches.
How NOT to Facebook / […] no naked pictures, no deep emotions (awkward), no tagging a bunch of people in a picture of some fly Nikes, no making dinner plans (just use a PHONE).
Harry [Styles] and Grimmy had struck up quite a friendship with Rita [Ora] and a few weeks earlier had been seen at G-A-Y for her album launch. She tweeted a picture of the trio saying: ‘Thanks for coming my little fashionistas. Looking flyer than a mofo.’
I'm so fly, I don't even try / I get so high, I can touch the sky / Dress for myself, I don't dress for hype / I dress for myself, you dress for the likes
Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
Usage- Slang
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[Rahiem] My name brings peace and tranquility / So all the fly ladies' hearts can run free
More examples (1)
Word is bond she looked divine, she looked as fly as can be I thought she was different cause she was by herself She looked real wholesome, and in good physical health
I rap for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners
Noun
A wing.
Usage- Northern-England
- Scotland
- Examples
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The bullet barely grazed the wild fowl's fly.
Adjective
(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
Noun
two-winged insects characterized by active flight
- Broader terms
flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
- Broader terms
an opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or by buttons concealed under a fold of cloth
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
- Synonyms
fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
- Broader terms
Verb
travel through the air; be airborne
- Synonyms
- Examples
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Man cannot fly
move quickly or suddenly
- Broader terms
- Examples
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He flew about the place
operate an airplane
- Examples
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The pilot flew to Cuba
transport by aeroplane
- Examples
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We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America
cause to fly or float
- Examples
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fly a kite
be dispersed or disseminated
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Rumors and accusations are flying
change quickly from one emotional state to another
- Broader terms
- Examples
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fly into a rage
pass away rapidly
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Time flies like an arrow
Time fleeing beneath him
travel in an airplane
- Broader terms
- Examples
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she is flying to Cincinnati tonight
Are we driving or flying?
display in the air or cause to float
- Broader terms
- Examples
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fly a kite
All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N.
run away quickly
- Synonyms
- Broader terms
- Examples
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He threw down his gun and fled
travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
- Examples
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Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic
hit a fly
- Broader terms
decrease rapidly and disappear
- Examples
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the money vanished in las Vegas
all my stock assets have vaporized