26984 words

fly

26 definitions • 56 examples
1
When a bird, insect, or aircraft flies, it moves through the air:

Examples:

The poor bird couldn't fly because it had a broken wing.
fly away As soon as it saw us, the bird flew away.
fly off The bee flew off, into the sunshine.
2
to travel by aircraft, or to go somewhere or cross something in an aircraft:

Examples:

fly to We flew to Paris.
fly from We fly from La Guardia.
fly out of The plane was a Boeing 757 flying out of Dulles International Airport.
fly out from The pianist is flying out from New York this week to play in Tokyo.
fly back into What airport are you flying back into?
fly at We are flying at a height of 36,000 feet.
She has to fly thousands of miles every year for her job.
fly across Who was the first person to fly across the Atlantic?
These Clippers flew the Pacific and the Atlantic (= they flew across them).
3
to use a particular company to travel by aircraft:

Examples:

I usually fly Lufthansa/Japan Airlines/El Al.
4
to transport people or goods by aircraft:

Examples:

fly something in The restaurant flies its fish in daily from Scotland.
fly something out They would only eat prime American beef, so we had to fly it out to Japan.
fly someone in The company flew him in from France for an informal interview.
fly someone out We will be flying 100 badly wounded civilians out of the battle zone tonight.
5
to control an aircraft:

Examples:

I learned to fly when I was in Australia.
Her ambition was to fly a jumbo jet.
6
to move or go quickly:

Examples:

fly across With the explosion, glass flew across the room.
fly by Cathy flew by me in the corridor.
fly past A police car went flying past in the opposite direction.
fly open The door/window suddenly flew open.
must fly UK informal Anyway, I must fly (= leave quickly) - I didn't realize how late it was!
7
(of time) to seem to pass quickly:

Examples:

If you have a good lesson, time flies.
In my old office, time seemed to drag, but in my new job the weeks fly.
fly by My holiday seems to have flown by this year.
The years fly by and before we know it, we're old.
fly past The days flew past, and it was all over too quickly.
8
to wave or move about in the air while being fixed at one end:

Examples:

The ship was flying the Spanish flag.
fly at half-mast The flag was flying at half-mast (= brought down to a point half way down the pole) to mark the death of the president.
There isn't really enough wind to fly a kite today.
9
If rumours, accusations, etc. fly, they are passed quickly from one person to another and cause excitement:

Examples:

Rumors are flying that the school may close.
10
to succeed or be accepted:

Examples:

will fly It's a wonderful idea, but will it fly?
will not fly Stuff you may have got away with in your previous job won't fly here.
If you tried something like this in Liverpool, I don't think it would fly.
11
in baseball, to hit the ball in the air:

Examples:

The pitcher got the hitter to fly to right field.
He flied to right field in the first.
12
a small insect with two wings
13
the opening at the front of a pair of trousers:

Examples:

Hey Chris, your fly's undone!
14
a hook (= curved piece of wire) with coloured threads fastened to it, attached to the end of a fishing line to attract fish
15
the outside sheet of material on a tent that has two layers, for keeping rain out
16
in baseball, a hit that sends the ball in the air:

Examples:

Collins hit a high fly to right field.
17
(of creatures, objects, or aircraft) to move through the air, or (of people) to travel by aircraft:

Examples:

[ I ] The building just exploded, and glass flew through the air.
[ I ] We enjoy watching the birds fly over the water.
[ I ] Are you planning to fly or drive to Toronto?
[ I ] Some of our pilots have been flying (= operating an aircraft) for 20 years.
[ I/T ] What airline are you flying (on) (= traveling on as a passenger)?
18
to move or go quickly or suddenly:

Examples:

Theo was startled when the door flew open.
Saying she was late, Cathy flew by me and ran outside.
The summer seems to have flown by (= passed quickly).
19
to move around in the air while being held at one end, or to cause something attached at one end to be moved:

Examples:

[ I ] Flags flew from the front of every house.
20
a small insect with two wings
21
the covered opening at the front of a pair of pants
22
in baseball, a ball that has been hit high into the air:

Examples:

He caught the fly in deep center field.
23
to travel in an aircraft:

Examples:

How long does it take to fly from Heathrow to Los Angeles?
fly out of/into somewhere More and more business executives are flying out of the state's commercial airports.
24
to transport people or goods by aircraft:

Examples:

Oil workers are flown by helicopter to the rigs.
25
to be successful or popular:

Examples:

We're hoping the new brand name will fly.
26
to make a suggestion in order to get the reaction of others to it:

Examples:

In my opinion he is flying a kite that would destroy the private enterprise system.

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