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Definition fly

Etymology 1

From Middle English flye, flie, from Old English fl??e, fl?oge (“a fly”), from Proto-Germanic *fleug? (“a fly”), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (“to fly”). Cognate with Scots flee, Saterland Frisian Fljooge, Dutch vlieg, German Low German Fleeg, German Fliege, Danish flue, Swedish fluga, Icelandic fluga.

Noun

fly (plural flies)

  1. (zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
  2. (non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
  3. Any similar, but unrelated insect such as dragonfly or butterfly.
  4. (fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
  5. (weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
  6. (obsolete) A witch's familiar.
  7. (obsolete) A parasite.
  8. (swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys)
  9. A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.

Etymology 2

From Middle English flien, from Old English fl?ogan, from Proto-Germanic *fleugan? (compare Saterland Frisian fljooge, Dutch vliegen, Low German flegen, German fliegen, Danish flyve, Norwegian Nynorsk flyga), from Proto-Indo-European *plewk- (*plew-k-, “to fly”) (compare Lithuanian pla?kti ‘to swim’), enlargement of *plew- (“flow”). More at flee and flow.

Verb

fly (third-person singular simple present flies, present participle flying, simple past flew, past participle flown)

  1. (intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
  2. (transitive, intransitive, archaic, poetic) To flee, to escape (from).
  3. (transitive, ergative) To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
  4. (intransitive, colloquial, of a proposal, project or idea) To be accepted, come about or work out.
  5. (intransitive) To travel very fast, hasten.
  6. To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
  7. (transitive, ergative) To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
  8. To hunt with a hawk.
Noun

fly (plural flies)

  1. (obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
  2. An act of flying.
  3. (baseball) A fly ball.
  4. (now historical) A type of small, fast carriage (sometimes pluralised flys).
  5. A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
  6. (often plural) A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
  7. The free edge of a flag.
  8. The horizontal length of a flag.
  9. (weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
  10. The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
  11. (nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
  12. Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.
  13. A heavy wheel, or cross arms with weights at the ends on a revolving axis, to regulate or equalize the motion of machinery by means of its inertia, where the power communicated, or the resistance to be overcome, is variable, as in the steam engine or the coining press. See flywheel.
  14. (historical) A light horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation.
  15. In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
  16. The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
  17. (weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
  18. (printing, historical) The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
  19. (printing, historical) A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
  20. One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
  21. (cotton manufacture) waste cotton
Verb

fly (third-person singular simple present flies, present participle flying, simple past and past participle flied)

  1. (intransitive, baseball) To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).

Etymology 3

Origin uncertain; probably from the verb or noun.

Adjective

fly (comparative flier, superlative fliest)

  1. (slang, dated) Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
  2. (slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
  3. (slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
  4. (slang, chiefly Doric) Sneaky

Etymology 4

Related to German Flügel (“a wing”), Dutch vleugel (“a wing”), Swedish flygel (“a wing”).

Noun

fly (plural flies)

  1. (rural, Scotland, Northern England) A wing.

Results 423 Words with the letters FLY

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8 letter words with the letters FLY 
7 letter words with the letters FLY 
6 letter words with the letters FLY 
BARFLY 15
BELFRY 15
BOTFLY 15
CLIFFY 18
DAFTLY 13
DAYFLY 15
DEAFLY 13
DEFTLY 13
EYEFUL 13
FAIRLY 12
FAMILY 15
FAULTY 13
FEALTY 12
FEATLY 12
FECKLY 19
FEEBLY 15
FELONY 13
FICKLY 19
FIDDLY 14
FILTHY 14
FINELY 13
FIRMLY 15
FLABBY 18
FLAGGY 16
FLAKEY 16
FLAPPY 18
FLASHY 14
FLATLY 13
FLAYED 13
FLAYER 12
FLECKY 19
FLEDGY 15
FLEECY 15
FLESHY 14
FLEURY 13
FLEYED 13
FLIMSY 15
FLINTY 13
FLIPPY 18
FLIRTY 12
FLOATY 12
FLOCKY 19
FLOOEY 12
FLOOSY 12
FLOOZY 21
FLOPPY 18
FLOSSY 12
FLOURY 13
FLUFFY 19
FLUKEY 17
FLUNKY 18
FLURRY 13
FLUTEY 13
FLUYTS 13
FLYBOY 17
FLYBYS 17
FLYERS 12
FLYING 15
FLYMAN 16
FLYMEN 16
FLYOFF 18
FLYSCH 17
FLYTED 13
FLYTES 12
FLYWAY 17
FOLKSY 16
FONDLY 14
FORMYL 15
FOULLY 14
FOXILY 19
FREELY 12
FRILLY 13
FYLFOT 15
GADFLY 15
JOYFUL 22
LAYOFF 15
LIEFLY 13
MAYFLY 17
MEDFLY 16
MYSELF 15
OUTFLY 13
RIFELY 12
RUFFLY 16
SAFELY 12
SALIFY 12
SAWFLY 15
SOFTLY 12
UGLIFY 15
VILIFY 16
WIFELY 15
5 letter words with the letters FLY 
FATLY 11
FELLY 12
FERLY 11
FEYLY 13
FILLY 12
FILMY 14
FITLY 11
FLAKY 15
FLAMY 14
FLAWY 14
FLAXY 18
FLAYS 11
FLEYS 11
FLUKY 16
FLUTY 12
FLUYT 12
FLYBY 16
FLYER 11
FLYTE 11
FOLEY 11
FOLKY 15
FOLLY 12
FULLY 13
GULFY 14
LEAFY 11
LEFTY 11
LOFTY 11
REFLY 11
4 letter words with the letters FLY 
FLAY 10
FLEY 10
3 letter words with the letters FLY 
FLY 9

You can also try words with the phrase FLY, words starting with the letters FLY, or words ending in the letters FLY.