flying

[ flahy-ing ]
See synonyms for: flyingflyings on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. making flight or passing through the air; that flies: a flying insect; an unidentified flying object.

  2. floating, fluttering, waving, hanging, or moving freely in the air: flying banners; flying hair.

  1. extending through the air.

  2. moving swiftly.

  3. made while moving swiftly: a flying leap.

  4. very hasty or brief; fleeting or transitory: a flying visit; a flying remark.

  5. designed or organized for swift movement or action.

  6. fleeing, running away, or taking flight: They pursued the flying enemy.

  7. Nautical. (of a sail) having none of its edges fastened to spars or stays.

noun
  1. the act of moving through the air on wings; flight.

adverb
  1. Nautical. without being fastened to a yard, stay, or the like: a sail set flying.

Origin of flying

1
before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English flēogende (adj.). See fly2, -ing2, -ing1

Other words from flying

  • non·fly·ing, adjective
  • un·fly·ing, adjective

Words Nearby flying

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flying in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flying

flying

/ (ˈflaɪɪŋ) /


adjective
  1. (prenominal) hurried; fleeting: a flying visit

  2. (prenominal) designed for fast action

  1. (prenominal) moving or passing quickly on or as if on wings: a flying leap; the flying hours

  2. hanging, waving, or floating freely: flying hair

  3. nautical (of a sail) not hauled in tight against the wind

noun
  1. the act of piloting, navigating, or travelling in an aircraft

  2. (modifier) relating to, capable of, accustomed to, or adapted for flight: a flying machine

Other words from flying

  • Related adjective: volant

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