1
as in to hover
to move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings
the Wright brothers realized mankind's age-old wish to fly
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to escape
to get free from a dangerous or confining situation
you must fly to safety immediately
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to travel
to proceed or move quickly
flew down the concourse to catch his flight
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to flee
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
no one in the movies ever thinks to fly from the ax murderer and immediately call the police
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to disappear
to cease to be visible
the morning mist had flown, and a sparkling sea lay before us
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to pass
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval
the familiar "Because I said so!" is a reason that won't fly with most teenagers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fly
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 9 Jan. 2026
This is a view worth flying for.
—Meaghan Kenny, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Jan. 2026
Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Many modern titles allow gamers to adjust difficulty on the fly or even skip certain sections if things get too tricky.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fly
Verb
Artemis 2 will be Orion's first venture into space with astronauts aboard, and will fly humans around the moon for the first time since 1972 and the end of NASA's Apollo missions.
—Noun
There’s no good way to make a massive overhaul on the fly.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for fly
Verb
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At Schoedinger Funeral Home, where temperatures hovered around 30 degrees with occasional snow flurries, mourners began arriving shortly after the noon visitation opened.—
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During winter, temperatures hover around 50 to 60 degrees during the day, and drop as low as 30 at night, but the upside is generally fewer tourists and less crowds in the park.—
Verb
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Austin Abrams stars as a scuba diver who, while searching for his father’s (Josh Brolin) body, gets swallowed and must find a way to escape.—
-
Set in 1977, during Brazil’s military dictatorship, the thriller details Armando and his son in their efforts to escape the country in the midst of political turmoil.—
Verb
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The slim design makes this perfect for travelling, with easy stowing in suitcases or backpacks.—
-
Despite the losses, Damon traveled to Texas and won the national title, dedicating the victory to his family and supporters.—
Verb
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The tanker, Bella 1, had renamed itself Marinera and registered under the Russian flag after fleeing the region, according to an intelligence report from AI maritime analytics firm Windward.—
-
Instead of stopping to help the victim, the driver fled from the area.—
Verb
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That small body swathed like a mummy, our blind flight over the treetops, the prospect of disappearing in the middle of the jungle without a trace—all this converged to focus a singular intensity on the moment.—
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Last month, at least 16 files on the Department of Justice’s webpage that contained files on Epstein were reportedly found to have disappeared from its website, according to The Associated Press.—
Verb
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Idaho has history of laws targeting trans people Over the past several years, the Idaho Legislature and lawmakers across the country have passed a series of bills targeting transgender youth and adults, several of which are now being litigated.—
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Recall that a year prior to Wardlaw passing her hot check, criminal court records confirm her guilty disposition for the crime of skipping out on a wholly different criminal-court appearance, which is a class C misdemeanor.—
Noun
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Participants can sculpt with air-dry clay, paint on canvas, or craft a collage or mixed-media piece such as a design vision board.—
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Yet those soldiers and sailors had to stretch across a vast global canvas, leaving fewer than three in ten of them to try to rout the insurgents in North America.—
Verb
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In 2021, a man planed to propose to his girlfriend during a romantic gondola ride in Las Vegas, with passersby stopping to watch and record the sweet moment.—
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The Magellano’s Dual Mode Hull, a signature feature that has been on the vessels since the series started, is a semi-planing hull with a vertical bow.—
Cite this Entry
“Fly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fly. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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