fly
gb/flˈaɪ/ us/flˈaɪ/
A1
English
~ 1000
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
action
1
Travel through the air
To move in the air, like a bird or in a plane.
Usage pattern:
to fly [somewhere]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'fly' with 'drive' for planes; 'drive' is not used for aircraft.
Synonyms
soar (Implies smooth, often upward flight, usually without much flapping.)
Antonyms
land (Opposite action of coming down to the ground after being in the air.)
Collocations
fly away
|fly over
|fly back
|fly high
|fly across
Themes
travel
|transportation
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Birds fly south for the winter.
- We will fly to New York tomorrow morning.
- The helicopter can fly over rough terrain easily.
- Insects fly toward the light at night.
- Pilots must learn how to fly in different weather conditions.
Learner examples
- Birds can fly in the sky.
- I will fly to London next week.
- Planes fly very fast.
- Bees fly from flower to flower.
Noun
A1
entity
2
Small winged insect
A small insect with wings that can move quickly through the air.
Synonyms
housefly (Refers specifically to the common fly found in homes.)
Collocations
fruit fly
|house fly
|fly swatter
Themes
nature
|daily life
|animals
Examples
- A fly landed on my sandwich.
- Flies are attracted to garbage.
- There’s a fly buzzing around the kitchen.
- The horse was bothered by flies all day.
Learner examples
- A fly is on the table.
- Flies like sweet food.
- There is a fly in my room.
Verb
informal
A2
action
3
Go somewhere by plane
To go somewhere on an airplane.
Usage pattern:
to fly to [place]
Synonyms
air travel (General term for traveling by air; not used as a verb.)
Antonyms
drive (Traveling by car instead of by airplane.)
Collocations
fly direct
|fly first class
|fly economy
Themes
travel
|transportation
Examples
- We usually fly to Paris because it’s faster than taking the train.
- She flew from Tokyo to Sydney last week.
- I prefer to fly at night when airports are less crowded.
Learner examples
- I will fly to Spain in July.
- They flew to Canada last winter.
- We want to fly to Italy next summer.
Verb
A2
action
4
Move fast in the air
To move very fast in the air because of force.
Usage pattern:
to fly through [place]
Synonyms
whiz (Informal; suggests a fast sound as something moves past.)
Collocations
fly past
|fly across the room
Themes
movement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The ball flew over the fence.
- Papers flew everywhere when the wind came in.
- The door flew open during the storm.
Learner examples
- The ball flew into the garden.
- My hat flew away in the wind.
- The bird flew past my window.
Verb
informal
B1
event
5
Time goes by fast
When time feels like it goes fast.
Synonyms
speed by (Informal; similar sense of rapid passage of time.)
Collocations
time flies
Themes
time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Time flies when you’re having fun.
- The holidays flew by too quickly this year.
- Summer always seems to fly by.
Learner examples
- Time flies when we play games.
- The day flew by at school.
- The week will fly by.
Verb
B1
action
6
Pilot an aircraft
To make an airplane go where you want it to go.
Usage pattern:
to fly [an aircraft]
Synonyms
pilot (More formal; also used as a noun for the person operating an aircraft.)
Collocations
fly a plane
|fly a helicopter
Themes
transportation
|travel
Examples
- She learned how to fly a plane in the Air Force.
- Only trained pilots can fly this type of jet.
- He has been flying helicopters for over ten years.
Learner examples
- I want to fly a plane someday.
- He can fly a helicopter.
- She will learn to fly an airplane.
Noun
informal
B1
entity
7
Trouser zipper area
The part at the front of pants with a zipper or buttons.
Collocations
zipper fly
Themes
clothing
|daily_life
Examples
- Your fly is open.
- He zipped up his fly before leaving the restroom.
- These jeans have a button fly instead of a zipper.
Learner examples
- My fly is open.
- He closed his fly.
- These pants have a button fly.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fly
IPA
GB/flˈaɪ/
US/flˈaɪ/
Syllables & stress
fly (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (fly)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fly
- Plural: flies
Verb
- Base: fly
- 3rd Person Singular: flies
- Present Participle: flying
- Past: flew, flied
- Past Participle: flown
Word family
Forms
flies
noun
flying
verb
flew
verb
flied
verb
flown
verb
Core family
flight
noun A2
Related words
flyer
noun B1
Negative and opposite forms
flightless
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular past participle: flown Verb
Expressions
fly blind
1/flˈaɪ blˈaɪnd/
idiom
informal
Act without needed information
To do something without enough information or guidance.
Examples
- We’re flying blind without proper market research.
- He felt like he was flying blind during his first week at work.
on the fly
1/ˈɔn ðə flˈaɪ/
idiom
informal
Do something quickly, without planning
To do something quickly while doing something else, without stopping or planning first.
Examples
- We had to make changes on the fly during the meeting.
- She cooked dinner on the fly after coming home late.
time flies
1/tˈaɪm flˈaɪz/
idiom
Time passes quickly
Time seems to go fast.
Examples
- Time flies when you’re busy at work.
- It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun.
fly high
1/flˈaɪ hˈaɪ/
idiom
be very successful or happy
To be very successful or feel very happy.
Examples
- Her career is flying high after her latest film.
- He's been flying high since he got promoted.
fly high
2/flˈaɪ hˈaɪ/
idiom
Be successful or happy
To be doing very well or feeling very happy.
Examples
- Her career is flying high after her recent award.
- They were flying high after winning the championship.
fly off the handle
1/flˈaɪ ˈɔf ðə hˈændəl/
idiom
informal
Become suddenly angry
To get angry very suddenly and strongly.
Examples
- He flew off the handle when he heard about the mistake.
- He flew off the handle when he heard about the delay.
- Don’t fly off the handle over something so small.
- Try not to fly off the handle over small problems.