[fly] vb flew ; flown ; fly.ing [ME flien, fr. OE fleogan; akin to OHG fliogan to fly and prob. OE flowan to flow] vi (bef. 12c) 1 a: to move in or pass through the air with wings b: to move through the air or before the wind or through outer space c: to float, wave, or soar in the air "flags ~ing at half-mast"
2. a: to take flight: flee b: to fade and disappear: vanish 3 a: to move, pass, or spread quickly "rumors were ~ing" b: to be moved with sudden extreme emotion "flew into a rage" c: to seem to pass quickly "the time simply flew"
4: to become expended or dissipated rapidly
5: to operate or travel in an airplane or spacecraft
6: to work successfully: win popular acceptance "knew ... a pure human-rights approach would not ~ --Charles Brydon" ~ vt 1 a: to cause to fly, float, or hang in the air "~ing a kite" b: to operate (as a balloon, aircraft, rocket, or spacecraft) in flight c: to journey over or through by flying
2. a: to flee or escape from b: avoid, shun
3: to transport by aircraft or spacecraft -- fly at : to assail suddenly and violently -- fly blind : to fly an airplane solely by instruments -- fly high : to be elated -- fly in the face of or fly in the teeth of : to stand or act forthrightly or brazenly in defiance or contradiction of
[2]fly n, pl flies (bef. 12c) 1: the action or process of flying: flight
2. a: a device consisting of two or more radial vanes capable of rotating on a spindle to act as a fan or to govern the speed of clockwork or very light machinery b: flywheel 3 pl: the space over a theater stage where scenery and equipment can be hung
4: something attached by one edge: as a: a garment closing concealed by a fold of cloth extending over the fastener b (1): the length of an extended flag from its staff or support (2): the outer or loose end of a flag
5: a baseball hit high into the air
6: flyleaf 7: a sheet of material (as canvas) that is attachable to a tent for use as a double top or as a rooflike extension 8: a football pass pattern in which the receiver runs straight downfield -- on the fly 1: in motion: busy
2: while still in the air: without the ball bouncing "the home run carried 450 feet on the fly" [3]fly vi flied ; fly.ing (1893): to hit a fly in baseball [4]fly n, pl flies [ME flie, fr. OE fleoge; akin to OHG flioga fly, OE fleogan to fly] (bef. 12c) 1: a winged insect--used chiefly in combination "mayflies" "butterfly"
2. a: any of a large order (Diptera) of winged or rarely wingless insects (as the housefly, mosquito, or gnat) that have segmented often headless, eyeless, and legless larvae, the anterior wings functional, and the posterior wings reduced to halteres b: a large stout-bodied fly
3: a fishhook dressed (as with feathers or tinsel) to suggest an insect -- fly in the ointment : a detracting factor or element [5]fly adj [prob. fr. [1]fly] (1811) chiefly Brit: keen, artful