What is the meaning of fly-by-night?

noun

  • A debtor who flees to avoid paying.

adjective

  • Of businesses and businessmen. ( unscrupulous)
    • usage: "a shady operation"
  • Ephemeral.
    • usage: "the symphony is no fly-by-night venture"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). fly-by-night. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/fly-by-night/definitions/1174308
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "fly-by-night" http://smartdefine.org/fly-by-night/definitions/1174308 (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, fly-by-night, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/fly-by-night/definitions/1174308>.
MLAWordNet. "fly-by-night" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/fly-by-night/definitions/1174308>