- (v.i.) The outer canvas of a tent with double top, usually drawn over the ridgepole, but so extended as to touch the roof of the tent at no other place.
- (v.i.) Any dipterous insect; as, the house fly; flesh fly; black fly. See Diptera, and Illust. in Append.
- (v.i.) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
- (v.i.) The length of an extended flag from its staff; sometimes, the length from the "union" to the extreme end.
- (v.i.) 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 Fly wheel (below).
- (a.) Knowing; wide awake; fully understanding another's meaning.
- (v.i.) Formerly, the person who took the printed sheets from the press.
- (v.i.) A hook dressed in imitation of a fly, -- used for fishing.
- (v.i.) The piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
- (v.i.) To move suddenly or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly; -- usually with a qualifying word; as, a door flies open; a bomb flies apart.
- (v.i.) To move in or pass thorugh the air with wings, as a bird.
- (v.i.) To move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around; rumor flies.
- (v.i.) A kind of light carriage for rapid transit, plying for hire and usually drawn by one horse.
- (v.i.) A familiar spirit; a witch's attendant.
- (v.t.) To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.
- (v.i.) Any winged insect; especially, one with transparent wings; as, the Spanish fly; firefly; gall fly; dragon fly.
- (v.i.) To move through the air or before the wind; especially, to pass or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
- (v.i.) The fore flap of a bootee; also, a lap on trousers, overcoats, etc., to conceal a row of buttons.
- (v.i.) The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
- (v.i.) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
- (v.i.) A batted ball that flies to a considerable distance, usually high in the air; also, the flight of a ball so struck; as, it was caught on the fly.
- (v.i.) One of the upper screens of a stage in a theater.
- (v.i.) To float, wave or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
- (v.t.) To hunt with a hawk.
- (v.i.) A parasite.
- (v.i.) The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
- (v.i.) To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee.
- (v.i.) 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.
- (v.i.) A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power to a power printing press for doing the same work.
- (v.t.) To cause to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc.
- (n.) Waste cotton.
- (v.t.) To manage (an aircraft) in flight; as, to fly an aeroplane.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). fly. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/fly/definitions/2009000 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "fly" http://smartdefine.org/fly/definitions/2009000 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, fly, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/fly/definitions/2009000>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "fly" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/fly/definitions/2009000> |