Fly
WordNet
adjective
(1) (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
noun
(2) (baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
(3) Two-winged insects characterized by active flight
(4) An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or by buttons concealed under a fold of cloth
(5) Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
(6) Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
verb
(7) Decrease rapidly and disappear
"The money vanished in las Vegas"
"All my stock assets have vaporized"
(8) Change quickly from one emotional state to another
"Fly into a rage"
(9) Hit a fly
(10) Transport by aeroplane
"We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America"
(11) Be dispersed or disseminated
"Rumors and accusations are flying"
(12) Travel in an airplane
"She is flying to Cincinnati tonight"
"Are we driving or flying?"
(13) Move quickly or suddenly
"He flew about the place"
(14) Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
"Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic"
(15) Cause to fly or float
"Fly a kite"
(16) Travel through the air; be airborne
"Man cannot fly"
(17) Fly a plane
(18) Pass away rapidly
"Time flies like an arrow"
"Time fleeing beneath him"
(19) Run away quickly
"He threw down his gun and fled"
(20) Display in the air or cause to float
"Fly a kite"
"All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N."
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
From , . Cognate with Scots , Dutch , German , Swedish .
Noun
- Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings, also called true flies.
- Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
- Any similar, but unrelated insect such as dragonfly or butterfly.
- A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
- A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
Etymology 2
From , from , from . Cognate with Dutch , German , Swedish ; and (from Indo-European) with Lithuanian .
Verb
- To travel through the air.
- Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter.
- The Concorde flew from Paris to New York faster than any other passenger airplane.
- It takes about eleven hours to fly from Frankfurt to Hongkong.
- The little fairy flew home on the back of her friend, the giant eagle.
- To flee, to escape.
- Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!
- To cause to move through the air, to transport by air.
- Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean.
- Why don’t you go outside and fly kites, kids? The wind is just perfect.
- Birds fly their prey to their nest to feed it to their young.
- Each day the post flies thousands of letters around the globe.
- To be accepted.
- Let's see if that idea flies.
Synonyms
soar, hover, wing, skim, glide, ascend, rise, float, aviate escape, flee, abscondNoun
- The action of flying; flight.
- An act of flying.
- We had a quick half-hour fly back into the city.
- A fly ball.
- A type of small, fast carriage.
- 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Folio Society 2008, p. 124:
- As we left the house in my fly, which had been waiting, Van Helsing said:— ‘Tonight I can sleep in peace [...].’
- 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Folio Society 2008, p. 124:
- A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
- A strip of material hiding the zipper, buttons etc. at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, or underpants.
- The free edge of a flag.
- The horizontal length of a flag.
Verb
- To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball which is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
- Jones flied to right in his last at-bat.