flying

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Related to flying: flying squirrel, flying machine

fly·ing

(flī′ĭng)

adj.

1. Of or relating to aviation: a flying time of three hours between cities.

2. Capable of or engaged in flight: The bat is a flying mammal.

3. Situated, extending, or functioning in the air: a flying deck.

a. Swiftly moving; fleet: played the difficult passage with flying fingers.

b. Done or performed swiftly in or as if in the air: crossed the goal line with a flying leap.

5. Brief; hurried: took a flying glance at the report.

6. Capable of swift deployment or response; extremely mobile.

7. Nautical

a. Set by hoisting from the deck. Used of a sail.

b. Secured only at the corners. Used of a sail.

1. Flight in an aircraft or spacecraft.

2. The piloting or navigation of an aircraft or spacecraft.

Idiom:

with flying colors

With complete or outstanding success: passed the exam with flying colors.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

flying

(ˈflaɪɪŋ)

adj

1. (prenominal) hurried; fleeting: a flying visit.

2. (prenominal) designed for fast action

3. (prenominal) moving or passing quickly on or as if on wings: a flying leap; the flying hours.

4. hanging, waving, or floating freely: flying hair.

5. (Nautical Terms) nautical (of a sail) not hauled in tight against the wind

6. (Aeronautics) the act of piloting, navigating, or travelling in an aircraft

7. (modifier) relating to, capable of, accustomed to, or adapted for flight: a flying machine.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fly•ing

(ˈflaɪ ɪŋ)

adj.

1. making flight or capable of making flight; passing through the air: a flying insect.

2. floating, waving, or hanging in the air: flying banners.

3. extending through the air.

4. moving swiftly.

5. made while moving swiftly: a flying leap.

6. very hasty or brief; fleeting or transitory: a flying visit.

7. designed or organized for swift movement or action.

8. fleeing; running away.

9. (of a sail) having none of its edges fastened to spars or stays.

10. the act of traveling in or operating an aircraft or spacecraft; flight.

adv.

11. without being fastened to a yard, stay, or the like.

[before 1000]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	flying - an instance of traveling by air; "flying was still an exciting adventure for him" flight air travel, aviation, air - travel via aircraft; "air travel involves too much waiting in airports"; "if you've time to spare go by air" aerobatics, stunt flying, stunting, acrobatics - 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, flypast, flyover - a flight at a low altitude (usually of military aircraft) over spectators on the ground gliding, sailplaning, soaring, glide, sailing - the activity of flying a glider maiden flight - the first flight of its kind; "the Stealth bomber made its maiden flight in 1989" 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; "the plane turned to make a second pass" 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
Adj.	1.	flying - moving swiftly; "fast-flying planes"; "played the difficult passage with flying fingers" fast-flying moving - in motion; "a constantly moving crowd"; "the moving parts of the machine"
	2.	flying - hurried and brief; "paid a flying visit"; "took a flying glance at the book"; "a quick inspection"; "a fast visit" quick, fast hurried - moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste; "a hurried trip to the store"; "the hurried life of a city"; "a hurried job"

flying

adjective

1. airborne, waving, winging, floating, streaming, soaring, in the air, hovering, flapping, gliding, fluttering, wind-borne, volitant a species of flying insect

2. fast, running, express, speedy, winged, mobile, rapid, fleet, mercurial He made a flying start to the final.

3. hurried, brief, rushed, fleeting, short-lived, hasty, transitory, fugacious I paid a flying visit to the capital.

Related words
adjective volar

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

flying

adjective

Accomplished in very little time:

brief, expeditious, fast, hasty, hurried, quick, rapid, short, speedy, swift.

Translations

volant

volante

летательный

letečletenje

flying

[ˈflaɪɪŋ]

A. ADJ [glass, debris] → que vuela por los aires
he took a flying leap at the man → dio un salto or saltó sobre el hombre
he launched himself in a flying tackle and brought the intruder to the ground → se lanzó por el aire or se lanzó en plancha y derribó al intruso
to make a flying visit → hacer una visita relámpago
to come through (sth) with flying colours → salir airoso (de algo)
he passed all his exams with flying colours → aprobó todos sus exámenes con éxito
to get off to a flying start → empezar con muy buen pie

B. N (gen) → vuelo m; (= aviation) → aviación f
I had done 60 hours of flying → había realizado 60 horas de vuelo
I don't like flying → no me gusta ir en avión or volar
to have a fear of flying → tener miedo al avión

C. CPD flying boat N → hidroavión m
flying bomb N → bomba f volante
flying buttress N → arbotante m
flying doctor N → médico/a m/f rural (que se traslada en avión)
flying fish N → pez m volador
flying fortress N → fortaleza f volante
flying fox N → panique m
flying lesson N → clase f or lección f de vuelo
flying machine N → máquina f de volar
flying officer N → teniente mf de aviación
flying picket N → piquete m volante or móvil
flying saucer N → platillo m volante
flying squad N (Brit) → brigada f móvil
flying suit N → traje m de vuelo
flying time N (= length of journey) → duración f del vuelo; (= hours flown) → horas fpl de vuelo
flying trapeze N → trapecio m volador

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

flying

[ˈflaɪɪŋ]

(= activity) → aviation f

(= air travel) → l'avion m
He doesn't like flying
BUT Il n'aime pas voyager en avion.

adj

(= winged) [creature] → volant(e)

with flying colours → haut la mainflying ambulance n (= plane) → avion m sanitaire (= helicopter) → hélicoptère m sanitaireflying buttress n → arc-boutant mflying doctor n → médecin m volant(femme médecin f volant)flying fish n → poisson m volantflying machine n → machine f volanteflying picket n → piquet m de grève volantflying saucer n → soucoupe f volanteFlying Squad n (British) → brigade f volante (de la police judiciaire)flying start n
to get off to a flying start [team, competitor] → prendre un départ en flèche; [scheme, plan] → prendre un excellent départ
The week has got off to a flying start → La semaine a très bien commencé.flying time n → temps m de volflying visit n → visite f éclair inv

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

flying

adj animal → fliegend; glass, debris → herumfliegend

n → Fliegen nt; he likes flying → er fliegt gerne; he’s afraid of flying → er hat Angst vorm Fliegen or Flugangst

flying

flying ambulance

n (= helicopter) → Rettungshubschrauber m; (= plane) → Rettungsflugzeug nt

flying boat

n → Flugboot nt

flying bomb

n → V-Rakete f

flying buttress

n (Archit) → Strebebogen m

flying colours, (US) flying colors

pl to pass with flying → glänzend abschneiden

flying doctor

n → fliegender Arzt (esp in Australien)

Flying Dutchman

n The flying → der Fliegende Holländer

flying exhibition

n → Wanderausstellung f

flying fish

n → Fliegender Fisch

flying fox

n → Flughund m

flying insect

n → Fluginsekt nt

flying jacket

n → Fliegerjacke f

flying leap

n → (großer) Satz; to take a flying → einen großen Satz machen

flying machine

n (old, hum) → Flugmaschine f

flying officer

n (Brit) → Oberleutnant m

flying picket

n → mobiler Streikposten

flying saucer

n → fliegende Untertasse

flying squad

n → Bereitschaftsdienst m

flying start

n (Sport) → fliegender Start; to get off to a flying (Sport) → hervorragend wegkommen (inf); (fig) → einen glänzenden Start haben

flying suit

n → Pilotenanzug m

flying time

n → Flugzeit f

flying trapeze

n → Trapez nt, → Schwebereck nt

flying visit

n → Blitzbesuch m, → Stippvisite f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

flying

[ˈflaɪɪŋ]

1. adj (gen) → volante
to pass an exam with flying colours → superare un esame con risultati brillanti
to take a flying leap or jump → fare un gran balzo

2. n (action) → volo; (activity) → aviazione f
he doesn't like flying → non gli piace viaggiare in aereo

References in classic literature ?

The willow-wren with his army also came flying through the air with such a humming, and whirring, and swarming that every one was uneasy and afraid, and on both sides they advanced against each other.

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He had met her early in the spring as he was flying down the river after a big yellow moth, and had been so attracted by her slender waist that he had stopped to talk to her.

"My friends are flying up and down the Nile, and talking to the large lotus- flowers.

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Now every body's orf everywhere; the whole dratted country sims flying to pieces.

But it was brought home very insistently, and in those days if, ever one heard a man saying in a public place in a loud, reassuring, confident tone, "It's bound to come," the chances were ten to one he was talking of flying. And Bert got a box lid and wrote out in correct window-ticket style, and Grubb put in the window this inscription, "Aeroplanes made and repaired." It quite upset Tom--it seemed taking one's shop so lightly; but most of the neighbours, and all the sporting ones, approved of it as being very good indeed.

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Now, except by flying, no one can reach the island in the Serpentine, for the boats of humans are forbidden to land there, and there are stakes round it, standing up in the water, on each of which a bird-sentinel sits by day and night.

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Listen, it's flying!" almost shrieked Levin, cocking his gun.

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'He has promised to give his daughter to whoever can make a flying ship.'

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When Wendy returned diffidently she found Peter sitting on the bed-post crowing gloriously, while Jane in her nighty was flying round the room in solemn ecstasy.

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Straightway a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enough to darken the sky.

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Glad in flying free, till she found a place On a gentle tree.

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how many wise men come flying from afar, to dash their heads against thee!

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