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flying

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

That flies or can fly.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

flying

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈflaɪɪŋ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. That flies or can fly.

  2. Capable of moving rapidly; highly mobile.

  3. Brief or hurried.

  4. Designating a cattle brand consisting of a letter extended on both sides with tilde-like curved lines.

noun

  1. uncountableaerodynamics

    The action or process of sustained motion through the air.

  2. countableaviation

    An act of flight.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Varies by meaning

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: That flies or can fly.

Used this way, flying is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use flying

  • “Flying was still an exciting adventure for him.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

flying fishflying machineflying dutchman

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • flying birdnounCompound term

    Birds having keeled breastbones for attachment of flight muscles.

  • flying boatnounCompound term

    A large seaplane that floats with its fuselage in the water rather than on pontoons.

  • flying bombnounCompound term

    A small jet-propelled winged missile that carries a bomb.

  • flying bridgenounCompound term

    The highest navigational bridge on a ship.

  • flying buttressnounCompound term

    A buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch.

  • flying carpetnounCompound term

    An imaginary carpet that will fly people anywhere they wish to go.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

adjective

Sense: that flies or can fly

quickmobile

noun

Sense: action

mobile

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.