fleet

1
[ fleet ]
/ flit /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fleet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.
the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.
a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.
a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership: He owns a fleet of cabs.
a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.

Origin of fleet

1
before 1000; Middle English flete, Old English flēot, derivative of flēotan to float; see fleet2

Words nearby fleet

fleecie, fleecy, fleein', fleek, fleer, fleet, fleet admiral, fleet air arm, fleet ballistic missile submarine, fleet chief petty officer, fleet rate

Definition for fleet (2 of 3)

fleet 2
[ fleet ]
/ flit /

adjective, fleet·er, fleet·est.

swift; rapid: to be fleet of foot; a fleet horse.

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.
Nautical.
  1. to move or change the position of.
  2. to separate the blocks of (a tackle).
  3. to lay (a rope) along a deck.

Origin of fleet

2
before 900; Middle English fleten to be fleet, Old English flēotan to float; see float

OTHER WORDS FROM fleet

fleet·ly, adverb fleet·ness, noun

Definition for fleet (3 of 3)

fleet 3
[ fleet ]
/ flit /

noun British Dialect.

an arm of the sea; inlet.
a creek; stream; watercourse.
the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.

Origin of fleet

3
before 900; Middle English flete, Old English flēot flowing water; cognate with German Fliess brook; (def 3) after the Fleet a stream, later covered and used as a sewer, near which the prison was located

Words related to fleet

speedy, armada, navy, squadron, flotilla, rapid, brisk, flying, fast, swift, barreling, winged, screaming, formation, line, argosy, vessels, tonnage, agile, breakneck

Example sentences from the Web for fleet

British Dictionary definitions for fleet (1 of 4)

fleet 1
/ (fliːt) /

noun

a number of warships organized as a tactical unit
all the warships of a nation
a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership

Word Origin for fleet

Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to float

British Dictionary definitions for fleet (2 of 4)

fleet 2
/ (fliːt) /

adjective

rapid in movement; swift
poetic fleeting; transient

verb

Derived forms of fleet

fleetly, adverb fleetness, noun

Word Origin for fleet

probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain

British Dictionary definitions for fleet (3 of 4)

fleet 3
/ (fliːt) /

noun

mainly Southeast English a small coastal inlet; creek

Word Origin for fleet

Old English flēot flowing water; see fleet 1

British Dictionary definitions for fleet (4 of 4)

Fleet
/ (fliːt) /

noun the Fleet

a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer
Also called: Fleet Prison (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors