What does "flying" mean?

1. (travel by air) the activity of traveling in an aircraft or moving through the air. 2. (able to fly) describing something that has wings or can move through the air. 3. (very fast or hurried) done very quickly or for a very short time. 4. (moving on hydrofoils) when a boat lifts out of the water and moves on special wings.

flying — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01travel by air

A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun Aviation

n. the activity of traveling in an aircraft or moving through the air.

n. the action or process of sustained motion through the air, typically by aircraft or birds.

“I am not very fond of flying, especially during long international trips.”

“Advances in commercial flying have made global travel accessible to millions, though environmental concerns regarding carbon emissions remain a significant challenge.”

Synonyms

flight aviation

02able to fly

A2 · Elementary

adj. describing something that has wings or can move through the air.

adj. capable of flight or characterized by the ability to move through the air.

“The museum has a large collection of flying insects from the rainforest.”

“The engineer pointed out that the flying model was significantly more aerodynamic than the static prototype used for the initial display.”

Synonyms

airborne winged

Antonyms

flightlessgrounded

03very fast or hurried

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. done very quickly or for a very short time.

adj. brief, hurried, or moving with great speed; often used in the phrase 'a flying visit'.

“He only had time for a flying visit to his parents before his train left.”

“The CEO made a flying visit to the regional office to approve the merger before departing for the international summit.”

Synonyms

brief hurried rapid

Antonyms

lengthy slow

04moving on hydrofoils

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun nautical Technical

n. when a boat lifts out of the water and moves on special wings.

n. the action of sustained hydrodynamic lift on hydrofoils, lifting the vessel hull out of the water for rapid motion.

“The new racing yacht looks like it is flying when it reaches high speeds.”

“Modern competitive sailing has been transformed by flying, as hydrofoil technology allows boats to reach speeds far exceeding the actual wind velocity.”

Synonyms

foiling

From Middle English fleynge, fleeʒinge, flihinde, vlyinde, vleoinde, flyand, ffleghand, flighand (also fleoninde, fleonninde, etc.), from Old English flēogende, from Proto-Germanic fleugandz (“flying”), present participle of Proto-Germanic fleuganą (“to fly”), equivalent to fly + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian fljoogend (“flying”), West Frisian fleanend (“flying”), Dutch vliegend (“flying”), German Low German flegend (“flying”), German fliegend (“flying”), Danish flyvende (“flying”), Swedish flygande (“flying”), Icelandic fljúgandi (“flying”).

From Middle English flyinge, fleyng, fleyinge, fleynge, fleghyng, fleiʒeyng, flyeghynge, equivalent to fly + -ing. Cognate with Danish flyvning (“flying”), Swedish flygning (“flying”), Norwegian flyvning, flygning, flyging, flying (“flying”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

fly(A2)

NOUN

flyer(B1)

flying(A2)