fleet
1the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.
the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.
a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.
a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership: He owns a fleet of cabs.
a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.
Origin of fleet
1Other definitions for fleet (2 of 3)
Archaic.
to glide along like a stream.
to fade; vanish.
Obsolete. to float; drift; swim.
to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.
Nautical.
to move or change the position of.
to separate the blocks of (a tackle).
to lay (a rope) along a deck.
Origin of fleet
2Other words for fleet
Other words from fleet
- fleetly, adverb
- fleetness, noun
Other definitions for fleet (3 of 3)
an arm of the sea; inlet.
a creek; stream; watercourse.
the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.
Origin of fleet
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fleet in a sentence
One waits at the bottom of a field, while his partner quarters the ground with the arrowy fleetness of a swallow.
The Chequers | James RuncimanI knew then that Owen had had a narrow escape, and but for the fleetness of foot of Evan he would surely have been slain.
A Prince of Cornwall | Charles W. WhistlerAmong his other gubernatorial accomplishments was a remarkable fleetness of foot.
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend BradyThe latter being promised a liberal reward, bounded away with the fleetness of a deer, and quickly vanished in the gloom.
The Life of Kit Carson | Edward S. EllisShe called her wild steed to her side, and, plucking these flowers to test his fleetness, sprang upon him and flew hither.
Wild Western Scenes | John Beauchamp Jones
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (1 of 4)
/ (fliːt) /
a number of warships organized as a tactical unit
all the warships of a nation
a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership
Origin of fleet
1British Dictionary definitions for fleet (2 of 4)
/ (fliːt) /
rapid in movement; swift
poetic fleeting; transient
(intr) to move rapidly
(intr) archaic to fade away smoothly; glide
(tr) nautical
to change the position of (a hawser)
to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in
to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)
(intr) obsolete to float or swim
(tr) obsolete to cause (time) to pass rapidly
Origin of fleet
2Derived forms of fleet
- fleetly, adverb
- fleetness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for fleet (3 of 4)
/ (fliːt) /
mainly Southeast English a small coastal inlet; creek
Origin of fleet
3British Dictionary definitions for Fleet (4 of 4)
/ (fliːt) /
a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer
Also called: Fleet Prison (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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