Definition of FLY

fly

Meanings

Plural: flew, flies, fly, flys

Noun

  • two-winged insects characterized by active flight
  • flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
  • an opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or by buttons concealed under a fold of cloth
  • (baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
  • fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
  • Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), 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 not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly, butterfly, or gallfly.
  • 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)
  • The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
  • A witch's familiar.
  • A parasite.
  • A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
  • A butterfly (combination of four options).
  • The action of flying; flight.
  • An act of flying.
  • A fly ball.
  • Ellipsis of fly route.
  • 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.
  • A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Ellipsis of flywheel.
  • A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).
  • 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.
  • A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
  • One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
  • Waste cotton.
  • A wing.
  • Alternative form of vly (“swamp (in New York)”).

Verb

  • travel through the air; be airborne
    • "Man cannot fly"
  • move quickly or suddenly
  • operate an airplane
  • transport by aeroplane
    • "We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America"
  • cause to fly or float
    • "fly a kite"
  • be dispersed or disseminated
    • "Rumors and accusations are flying"
  • change quickly from one emotional state to another
    • "fly into a rage"
  • pass away rapidly
  • travel in an airplane
    • "she is flying to Cincinnati tonight"
    • "Are we driving or flying?"
  • display in the air or cause to float
    • "fly a kite"
    • "All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N."
  • run away quickly
  • travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
    • "Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic"
  • hit a fly
  • decrease rapidly and disappear
  • To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
  • To flee, to escape (from).
  • To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
  • To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.
  • To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
  • To proceed with great success.
  • To be accepted, come about or work out.
  • To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
  • To hunt with a hawk.
  • To be in the winged adult stage.
  • To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).

Adjective Satellite

  • (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked

Adj

  • Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
  • Clandestine, surreptitious
  • Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
  • Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English flye, flie, from Old English flȳġe, flēoge (“a fly”), from Proto-Germanic *fleugǭ (“a fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Cognate with Scots flee, Saterland Frisian Fljooge, Dutch vlieg, German Low German Fleeg, German Fliege, Danish flue, Norwegian Bokmål flue, Norwegian Nynorsk fluge, Swedish fluga, Icelandic fluga.

Synonyms

abscond, ascend, aviate, dart, escape, fell, flee, flit, float, fly ball, fly front, fly sheet, glide, hover, hurry, move quickly, pilot, rainfly, rise, rush, skim, soar, take flight, tent flap, tent-fly, vanish, vaporize, wing, zoom

Antonyms

move slowly, remain, stay, walk

Scrabble Score: 9

fly is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
fly is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
fly is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

fly is a valid Words With Friends word