| Learning / English Dictionary |
FLYING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
An instance of traveling by air
Example:
flying was still an exciting adventure for him
Synonyms:
flight; flying
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("flying" is a kind of...):
air; air travel; aviation (travel via aircraft)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flying"):
acrobatics; aerobatics; stunt flying; stunting (the performance of stunts while in flight in an aircraft)
blind flying; blind landing (using only instruments for flying an aircraft because you cannot see through clouds or mists etc.)
ballooning (flying in a balloon)
fly-by; flyover; flypast (a flight at a low altitude (usually of military aircraft) over spectators on the ground)
glide; gliding; sailing; sailplaning; soaring (the activity of flying a glider)
maiden flight (the first flight of its kind)
overflight (a flight by an aircraft over a particular area (especially over an area in foreign territory))
pass (a flight or run by an aircraft over a target)
solo (a flight in which the aircraft pilot is unaccompanied)
sortie ((military) an operational flight by a single aircraft (as in a military operation))
low level flight; terrain flight (flight at very low altitudes)
Derivation:
fly (transport by aeroplane)
fly (travel in an airplane)
fly (travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft)
fly (travel through the air; be airborne)
fly (operate an airplane)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Hurried and brief
Example:
a fast visit
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
hurried (moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Moving swiftly
Example:
played the difficult passage with flying fingers
Synonyms:
fast-flying; flying
Classified under:
Similar:
moving (in motion)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form / -ing form of the verb fly
Context examples:
This caused the flies to have problems walking or flying later in life, to show signs of neurodegeneration, and to die earlier.
(NIH scientists search for the clocks behind aging brain disorders, National Institutes of Health)
Although Caudipteryx is in the same evolutionary group as birds and other theropods, it lived millions of years after flying dinosaurs, such as Archaeopteryx, were already in the air.
(Scientific study suggests dinosaurs flapped their wings as they ran, Wikinews)
He described how this bird had another remarkable habit: it led men to bees’ nests by calling and flying from tree to tree.
(How humans and wild Honeyguide birds call each other to help, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
I had not yet had a glimmering of unconsciousness, and it seemed that an interminable period of time was lapsing before I heard her feet flying back.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
MistNet also allows researchers to estimate flying velocity and traffic rates of migrating birds.
(Using artificial intelligence to track birds' dark-of-night migrations, National Science Foundation)
There they noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly round and round above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last settled near a rock not far away.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Data collected from the high-flying observatory found that this comet contains "ocean-like" water.
(Comet Provides New Clues to Origins of Earth's Oceans, NASA)
However, that production benefit hinged on what type of landscapes the bees were flying in from beyond the orchard.
(Diverse Bee Communities Best for Apple Orchards, U.S. Department of Agriculture)
A boy was chopping frozen moose-meat with an axe, and the chips were flying in the snow.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
There was no need to urge on the mares, for they were already flying at a pace which could neither be stopped nor controlled.
(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
