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

He watched practice Thursday and participated in a walk-through Friday before flying back to the East Coast for Sunday’s game.

From Los Angeles Times

“Oh my gosh, it’s endless what you can do,” she said, her words flying like a happy burst of confetti.

From Los Angeles Times

He also described the flying objects being lit up and hovering over the airbase, although he said he could not detect a noise, while he said the objects were large.

From BBC

“It was a part that I knew that nobody could do like me, and it was authentic to me, and I felt like I was flying,” she said.

From New York Times

Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the U.S. and lived in New York, was detained in September 2016 after flying into Shanghai.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• aerial
• floating
• soaring