Idioms for fly
Origin of fly
1
before 900; Middle English
flīen, Old English
flēogan; cognate with Old High German
fliogan, German
fliegen, Old Norse
fljuga
SYNONYMS FOR fly
1
Fly,
flit,
flutter,
hover,
soar refer to moving through the air as on wings.
Fly is the general term:
Birds fly. Airplanes fly. To
flit is to make short rapid flights from place to place:
A bird flits from tree to tree. To
flutter is to agitate the wings tremulously, either without flying or in flying only short distances:
A young bird flutters out of a nest and in again. To
hover is to linger in the air, or to move over or about something within a narrow area or space:
hovering clouds; a hummingbird hovering over a blossom. To
soar is to (start to) fly upward to a great height usually with little advance in any other direction, or else to (continue to) fly at a lofty height without visible movement of the wings:
Above our heads an eagle was soaring.
OTHER WORDS FROM fly
Words nearby fly
Definition for fly (2 of 3)
fly
2
[ flahy ]
/ flaɪ /
noun, plural flies.
Also called true fly.
any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially of the family Muscidae, as the common housefly.
Angling.
a fishhook dressed with hair, feathers, silk, tinsel, etc., so as to resemble an insect or small fish, for use as a lure or bait.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy.
the constellation Musca.
Origin of fly
2
before 950; Middle English
flīe, Old English
flēoge, flȳge; cognate with Middle Dutch
vliege (Dutch
vlieg), Old High German
flioga (German
Fliege); akin to
fly1
OTHER WORDS FROM fly
fly·less, adjectiveDefinition for fly (3 of 3)
fly
3
[ flahy ]
/ flaɪ /
adjective British Informal.
clever; keen; ingenious.
agile; nimble.
Origin of fly
3
First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps special use of
fly1
Example sentences from the Web for fly
British Dictionary definitions for fly (1 of 3)
fly
1
/ (flaɪ) /
verb flies, flying, flew or flown
noun plural flies
Derived forms of fly
flyable, adjectiveWord Origin for fly
Old English
flēogan; related to Old Frisian
fliāga, Old High German
fliogan, Old Norse
fljūga
British Dictionary definitions for fly (2 of 3)
fly
2
/ (flaɪ) /
noun plural flies
Derived forms of fly
flyless, adjectiveWord Origin for fly
Old English
flēoge; related to Old Norse
fluga Old High German
flioga; see
fly
1
British Dictionary definitions for fly (3 of 3)
fly
3
/ (flaɪ) /
adjective flyer or flyest slang
mainly British
knowing and sharp; smart
mainly Scot
furtive or sneaky
noun
on the fly mainly Scot
in secret; sneakily
Word Origin for fly
C19: of uncertain origin
Medical definitions for fly
fly
[ flī ]
n.
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera.
Scientific definitions for fly
fly
[ flī ]
Any of numerous insects of the order Diptera, having one pair of wings and large compound eyes. Flies include the houseflies, horseflies, and mosquitoes. See more at dipteran.