fleet

¹

[ fleet ]

noun

1. the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.
2. the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.
3. a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.
4. a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership:

   He owns a fleet of cabs.

5. a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.

fleet

²

[ fleet ]

adjective

, fleet·er, fleet·est.

1. swift; rapid:

   to be fleet of foot;

   a fleet horse.

verb (used without object)

1. to move swiftly; fly.
2. Nautical. to change position; shift.
3. Archaic.
   1. to glide along like a stream.
   2. to fade; vanish.
4. Obsolete. to float; drift; swim.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.

   Synonyms: beguile, hasten, speed

2. Nautical.
   1. to move or change the position of.
   2. to separate the blocks of (a tackle).
   3. to lay (a rope) along a deck.

fleet

³

[ fleet ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. an arm of the sea; inlet.
2. a creek; stream; watercourse.
3. the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.

fleet

¹

/ fliːt /

adjective

1. rapid in movement; swift
2. poetic.
   fleeting; transient

verb

1. intr to move rapidly
2. archaic.
   intr to fade away smoothly; glide
3. tr nautical
   1. to change the position of (a hawser)
   2. to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in
   3. to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)
4. obsolete.
   intr to float or swim
5. obsolete.
   tr to cause (time) to pass rapidly

fleet

²

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a small coastal inlet; creek

Fleet

³

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer
2. Also calledFleet Prison (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors

fleet

⁴

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a number of warships organized as a tactical unit
2. all the warships of a nation
3. a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership

Derived Forms

• ˈfleetness, noun
• ˈfleetly, adverb

Other Words From

• fleetly adverb
• fleetness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English flete, fleot(e), Old English flēot “bay, estuary; boat,” derivative of flēotan float ( def ); fleet ²

Origin of fleet²

First recorded in 1520–30; probably from or akin to Old Norse fljótr “quick, speedy”

Origin of fleet³

First recorded before 900; Middle English flete, Old English flēot “flowing water”; cognate with German Fliess “brook”; fleet ³def 3 is so called after the Fleet a stream, later covered and used as a sewer, near which the prison was located; fleet ¹( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain

Origin of fleet²

Old English flēot flowing water; see fleet ¹

Origin of fleet³

Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to float

Example Sentences

It shows how the atoms move in the fleeting intermediate states just before the bonds break.

From Science Daily

It's this underdog putting it all on the line, and just everything culminating to a moment and how precise and precious or fleeting that thing is.

From Salon

Nearly $20 million will go to electrify the university’s BruinBus fleet and install underground charging for shuttles and buses along a route that stretches for less than a mile in Westwood.

From Los Angeles Times

It was one of nine ships in the country's small navy fleet.

From BBC

At first, his mentions of yagé are fleeting, mere ways of making interesting conversation with a lover who only carries a passing interest in Lee.

From Salon

Related Words

• armada
• flotilla
• navy
• squadron