flying

[ flahy-ing ]

adjective

1. making flight or passing through the air; that flies: fly:

   a flying insect; an unidentified flying object.

2. floating, fluttering, waving, hanging, or moving freely in the air:

   flying banners; flying hair.

3. extending through the air.
4. moving swiftly.
5. made while moving swiftly:

   a flying leap.

6. very hasty or brief; fleeting or transitory:

   a flying visit; a flying remark.

7. designed or organized for swift movement or action.
8. fleeing, running away, or taking flight:

   They pursued the flying enemy.

9. 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.

flying

/ ˈflaɪɪŋ /

adjective

1. prenominal hurried; fleeting

   a flying visit

2. prenominal designed for fast action
3. prenominal moving or passing quickly on or as if on wings

   the flying hours

   a flying leap

4. hanging, waving, or floating freely

   flying hair

5. 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

• non·flying adjective
• un·flying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flying¹

before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English flēogende (adj.). See fly ², -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Liverpool are flying under Arne Slot and sit top of the Premier League and the Champions League table, having dropped points in just two games this season.

From BBC

I don’t think he was talking about flying monkeys.

From Los Angeles Times

The pterosaurs are extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside their close relatives, the dinosaurs.

From Science Daily

I was on set in a harness, flying, rehearsing stunts.

From Los Angeles Times

Fuelled by a social media buzz and celebrity users including Elon Musk, the drug has since been flying off pharmacy shelves around the world.

From BBC

Related Words

• aerial
• floating
• soaring