Fly Flying Flown Move Time Flaɪ Flew Window

• penguins can't fly.
• a stork flew slowly past.
• a wasp had flown in through the window.
• geese fly south in the fall.

fly

Verb Forms

1. to move through the air, using wings
• Penguins can't fly.
• A stork flew slowly past.
• A wasp had flown in through the window.
• Geese fly south in the fall.
2. to move through air or space
• They were on a plane flying from London to New York.
• Lufthansa fly to La Paz from Frankfurt.
• Enemy planes fly overhead.
• to fly at the speed of sound
• The aircraft was declared fully functional and fit to fly.
3. to travel in an aircraft or a spacecraft
• Is this the first time that you've flown?
• I'm flying to Hong Kong tomorrow.
• I was flying home to visit my family.
• I always fly business class.
• We're flying KLM.
4. to control an aircraft, etc. in the air
• He's learning to fly.
• a pilot trained to fly large passenger planes
• children flying kites

Extra Examples

• She's trained to fly passenger planes, not military jets.
• You'll have to fly the helicopter over some dangerous territory.
5. to transport goods or passengers in a plane
• The stranded tourists were finally flown home.
• He had flowers specially flown in for the ceremony.
• Orders were given to fly the prisoners to the US.
6. to move through the air for a particular distance; to travel over an ocean or area of land in an aircraft
• Some birds fly huge distances when they migrate.
• Who was the first person to fly the Atlantic?
• Only four airlines are currently allowed to fly transatlantic routes from Heathrow.
7. to go or move quickly
• The train was flying along.
• She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.
• It's late—I must fly.
8. to move suddenly and with force
• A large stone came flying in through the window.
• Several people were hit by flying glass.
• David gave the door a kick and it flew open.
9. to seem to pass very quickly
• Doesn't time fly?
• Summer has just flown by.
10. if a flag flies, or if you fly it, it is displayed, for example on a pole (= a long piece of wood or metal)
• Flags were flying at half mast on all public buildings.
• to fly the Stars and Stripes
11. to move around freely
• hair flying in the wind
12. to be talked about by many people
13. to escape from somebody/something
• COMPARE flee
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/flee
• Both suspects have flown the country.
14. to be successful
• It remains to be seen whether his project will fly.
15. to hit a ball high into the air
16. in a straight line
• The villages are no more than a mile apart as the crow flies.
17. the wanted person has escaped
18. to act without careful thought and without a plan that you have made in advance, hoping that you will be lucky and be successful
• SYNONYM wing it
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/wing_2#wing_idmg_7
19. to escape from a place
20. to show your support for your country, an organization or an idea to encourage or persuade others to do the same
21. to be successful
• British cinema has been flying high recently, winning several coveted awards.
22. to oppose or be the opposite of something that is usual or expected
• Such a proposal is flying in the face of common sense.
23. to become suddenly very angry
24. to test out public opinion on a subject
• The company is flying a kite to see if this plan provokes any interest.
25. to become able to fly and leave its nest
26. to leave home and live somewhere else
• Her children have flown the nest.
27. to suddenly start saying or doing something that does not seem to be connected to what has gone before
• He never sticks to the point but keeps going off at a tangent.
• Laura’s mind went off at a tangent.
28. to suddenly become very angry
• He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days.
29. to stop existing; to disappear completely
• As soon as the kids arrived, order went out of the window.
30. to fall, especially as a result of not seeing something under your feet
• Someone's going to go flying if you don't pick up these toys.
31. used to tell somebody to go away and stop annoying you or interfering
32. to represent your country or organization
• Our exporters keep the flag flying at international trade exhibitions.
33. to attack somebody by hitting them or speaking angrily to them
• He let fly at me with his fist.
• She let fly with a stream of abuse.
34. used to show that you do not believe something will ever happen
• ‘With a bit of luck, we'll be finished by the end of the year.’ ‘Yes, and pigs might fly!’
35. time seems to pass very quickly
• How time flies! I've got to go now.
• Time has flown since the holiday began.

Word Origin

• verb Old English flēogan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vliegen and German fliegen, also to fly, the insect.