flies 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of fly
1
as in hovers
to move through the air with or as if with outstretched wings the Wright brothers realized mankind's age-old wish to fly

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
3
4
5
6
as in passes
to withstand scrutiny and gain acceptance or approval the familiar "Because I said so!" is a reason that won't fly with most teenagers

Synonyms & Similar Words

flies

2 of 2

noun

plural of fly

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flies
Noun
The 420,000-pound pole flies a 70-by-140-foot American flag that spans 9,800 square feet and weighs 250 pounds. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2025 The 20-minute ride with Balloons Over Rum flies high above terrain once traversed by Bedouins and used as a backdrop for films like The Martian. Essence, 28 Oct. 2025 The airline flies passengers and cargo to destinations throughout the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, including cities like New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston and Atlanta. Chase Jordan october 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025 My mother-in-law, who flies in from out of town, even helps out. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025 The butterfly is called Iryna’s Azure and mainly flies in April in South Carolina. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025 The defense flies around, hitting with ferocity. Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2025 Alaska is the fifth largest US airline and flies 44 million passengers each year to 120 destinations in five countries, accoring to its website. Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025 The notion that Tyler cultivated an audience of white incels flies in the face of the many Black fans that Odd Future had at the very beginning. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flies
Verb
  • Europe’s central bank is expected to hold rates steady in October as inflation hovers around its 2% target.
    Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Though hiring has slowed, the nation's unemployment rate still hovers at a historically low level.
    Max Zahn, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This partnership was designed to reach an urban audience that is culturally engaged in art, music and design, but still escapes to the park for a morning run.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Back in Europe, Savoie, France, is also seeing a bump in travel interest, drawing visitors to its alpine villages, ski towns and year-round mountain escapes.
    Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The older dog is shown marching along, while the puppy scurries along, attempting to match its pace.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In some versions of the tale, the wolf scurries off to the forest while the three pigs live happily ever after in humble homesteads of their choice.
    Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Players take on the role of Enzo Favaro, a miner who survives a tunnel collapse and flees the pit after insubordinately attacking a cruel underboss.
    Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Blazy gives Odhiang a deep hug, jogs around the runway, and flees toward the exit, smiling.
    Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • White disappears completely into the role without skirting parody, portraying the exhausted hitmaker as startled by his own numbness, blanked out and unsure of what to do next.
    Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
  • That Makima disappears for most of the remaining drama and chaos reiterates the film’s episodic quality.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • If diplomatic assurances succeed in inducing mutual restraint, and 2027 passes without incident, then a new stability in the western Pacific could take hold, anchoring the security and prosperity of a vital and dynamic region.
    STEPHEN WERTHEIM, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
  • But if the referendum passes, the charter change would apply to land valued over $500,000 regardless of size.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Both Apple’s and Samsung’s devices seek to establish a new type of headset that offers different levels of immersion, from virtual screens to digital environments that fully envelop a user’s field of view.
    Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
  • There are two tables with video screens and red accents.
    Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Supporters call Shalom Wildlife zoo a 'magical place' While some critics say Wisconsin's loose oversight leaves too many gaps, Shalom's supporters see a very different story.
    Quinn Clark, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • That leaves Watson entering the season with uncertainty ahead.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Flies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flies. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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