fly
Travel through the air
To move in the air, like a bird or in a plane.
to fly [somewhere]
- 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.
- Birds can fly in the sky.
- I will fly to London next week.
- Planes fly very fast.
- Bees fly from flower to flower.
Small winged insect
A small insect with wings that can move quickly through the air.
- 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.
- A fly is on the table.
- Flies like sweet food.
- There is a fly in my room.
Go somewhere by plane
To go somewhere on an airplane.
to fly to [place]
- 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.
- I will fly to Spain in July.
- They flew to Canada last winter.
- We want to fly to Italy next summer.
Move fast in the air
To move very fast in the air because of force.
to fly through [place]
- The ball flew over the fence.
- Papers flew everywhere when the wind came in.
- The door flew open during the storm.
- The ball flew into the garden.
- My hat flew away in the wind.
- The bird flew past my window.
Time goes by fast
When time feels like it goes fast.
- Time flies when you’re having fun.
- The holidays flew by too quickly this year.
- Summer always seems to fly by.
- Time flies when we play games.
- The day flew by at school.
- The week will fly by.
Pilot an aircraft
To make an airplane go where you want it to go.
to fly [an aircraft]
- 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.
- I want to fly a plane someday.
- He can fly a helicopter.
- She will learn to fly an airplane.
Trouser zipper area
The part at the front of pants with a zipper or buttons.
- Your fly is open.
- He zipped up his fly before leaving the restroom.
- These jeans have a button fly instead of a zipper.
- My fly is open.
- He closed his fly.
- These pants have a button fly.
- Base: fly
- Plural: flies
- Base: fly
- 3rd Person Singular: flies
- Present Participle: flying
- Past: flew, flied
- Past Participle: flown
- Irregular past participle: flown Verb
fly blind
1Act without needed information
To do something without enough information or guidance.
- We’re flying blind without proper market research.
- He felt like he was flying blind during his first week at work.
on the fly
1Do something quickly, without planning
To do something quickly while doing something else, without stopping or planning first.
- We had to make changes on the fly during the meeting.
- She cooked dinner on the fly after coming home late.
time flies
1Time passes quickly
Time seems to go fast.
- Time flies when you’re busy at work.
- It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun.
fly high
1be very successful or happy
To be very successful or feel very happy.
- Her career is flying high after her latest film.
- He's been flying high since he got promoted.
fly high
2Be successful or happy
To be doing very well or feeling very happy.
- Her career is flying high after her recent award.
- They were flying high after winning the championship.
fly off the handle
1Become suddenly angry
To get angry very suddenly and strongly.
- 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.