# fly by

CEFR B1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fly-by
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

You use this when time seems to pass much faster than usual. It describes how hours, days, or years feel like they are moving very quickly.

For teachers: To pass rapidly or appear to pass at an accelerated rate. The verb is intransitive and typically takes a temporal noun or an event as its subject.

## Examples

- The summer holidays always fly by so fast.
- I can't believe it is already December; this whole year has just flown by.
- In the frantic environment of the trading floor, hours fly by unnoticed as brokers scramble to execute orders before the closing bell.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I flew by the weekend." but "The weekend flew by." — The phrase is intransitive, so the time period must be the subject, not the object.

## Usage notes

- This phrase is almost always used with time-related subjects like 'weeks' or 'the holidays'.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'drag', which is used when time feels very slow, to help students express the subjective nature of time.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.