What does "flying" mean?
An act of flight.
Flying
/ˈflaɪ.ɪŋ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of flight.
- Grammar: flying is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: flight, aeronautics, agile, air service.
- Useful contrasts: flightless, flightless bird, decrease.
- Usage evidence: Do you ever dream about flying through the sky?
How to use "flying"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "flying" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "flying" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "flying" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "flying" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "flying" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "flight" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "flying", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of flight. countable
""Flyings" could vary considerably in complexity and lavishness and could involve an actor or property being either lifted from the stage into the flies above or vice versa. As Colin Visser has observed, flyings and sinkings are both "associated with supernatural manifestations of various kinds" […]"
- 2 an instance of traveling by air wordnet
- 3 The action or process of sustained motion through the air. uncountable
"His seconde hawke wexyd gery And was with flyenge wery. She had flowyn so oft, That on the rode loft She perkyd her to rest."
- 4 The action of sustained hydrodynamic lift on hydrofoils lifting the vessel hull lifted out of the water, for sustained motion across water. uncountable
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of fly form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 That flies or can fly. not-comparable
"flying fox"
- 2 Brief or hurried. not-comparable
"flying visit"
- 3 Capable of moving rapidly; highly mobile. not-comparable
"flying column"
- 4 Not secured by yards. not-comparable
- 5 Capable of foiling. not-comparable
"Flying ferries are the watercraft of the future!"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Designating a cattle brand consisting of a letter extended on both sides with tilde-like curved lines. not-comparable
"He brands his cow W (flying W) or — (two-bar)."
Adjective
- 1 hurried and brief wordnet
- 2 moving swiftly wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Do you ever dream about flying through the sky?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "flying"?
Common synonyms include: flight, aeronautics, agile, air service, air travel, airborne.
How do you use "flying" in a sentence?
Do you ever dream about flying through the sky?
How do you pronounce "flying"?
Pronounced /ˈflaɪ.ɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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”).
Etymology 2
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”).