ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flew

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈfɫu// UK //flˈuː// flew Archaic Dialect

v. the past tense of 'fly'. You use it to say that something moved through the air or traveled by plane in the past.

v. the past tense of 'fly'. Intransitive when describing movement through air; transitive when describing the operation of an aircraft or the transport of cargo.


SIMPLE

The birds flew south for the winter.

CONTEXTUAL

We flew to Tokyo last summer for our family vacation.

COMPLEX

The pilot flew the small aircraft through the narrow mountain pass with remarkable precision despite the heavy fog.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English flew, flow, from Old English flēag, flug-, from Proto-Germanic flaug, flug-, past tense forms of Proto-Germanic *fleuganą (“to fly”). Compare Saterland Frisian flooch (“flew”), West Frisian fleach (“flew”), Dutch vloog (“flew”), German flog (“flew”), Danish fløj (“flew”), Swedish flög (“flew”), Icelandic flaug (“flew”).

Etymology 2

Unknown.

Usage

The past tense of 'fly'. The past participle is 'flown'.

Pitfall

The bird flied away.The bird flew away.'Fly' is an irregular verb; the past tense is 'flew', not 'flied'.

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