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
Verb
The source also described an incident involving a helicopter pilot who regularly flies to a residence in the restricted zone. Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026 Opportunities worth fighting for Esters, a 64-year-old retired clay sculptor for a Detroit automaker, flies three American flags at his Sherwood Forest home on the city’s west side. Corey Williams, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 The airline is based in Houston but only flies one route from there, also to New Haven. Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 30 June 2026 In second place is Oman, a country that often flies under the radar for expat life. Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026 Finally, unable to stand down the household guard on her own, Alicent confesses her scheme to Helaena, who orders the sentries on the ramparts to hold fire when Rhaenyra flies in on Syrax. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026 The nose is designed to help break up the shockwaves that are typically created when an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound. Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 June 2026 New York’s Finger Lakes region reveals a side of the state that often flies under the radar. Taryn White, USA Today, 29 June 2026 Here, a quilt flies over the spacious skies of Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park (an area threatened by drilling permits approved by the US Bureau of Land Management) bearing Wes Gordon’s Georgia, Ashlynn Park’s Arkansas, and Sergio Hudson’s South Carolina, among others. Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flies
Verb
  • As a result, Skywalkers hovers between a sense of constant performance and disarming immediacy — the latter generally during the many vertigo-inducing drone shots of Ivan and Angela’s hair-raising accomplishments.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • Their water content hovers around 16%, and butter is made up of 1-4% vitamins, minerals, lactose and protein.
    Rosemary Trout, Scientific American, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • The highest technology will not be the one that escapes nature but the one that learns how to participate in its deepest creative computation.
    Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • On clear, dry nights — like those across much of the interior West — that heat escapes very efficiently into space.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent scurries the great halls, desperate to shore up support for her plan to hand Rhaenyra the Red Keep.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • That goes for much here, from the light that scurries away from Benjamín Echazarreta’s muted camera, to the moments of sweetness that punctuate Mariá Portugal’s largely ominous score.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Dunn, having none of it, stabs Dickie 20 times with a broken liquor bottle–with pants around his ankles, no less–while Alma flees out a window.
    EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
  • With no idea what's going on, Dylan flees the FBC to find that the Hiss — otherworldly crimson monsters from another dimension — have overrun Manhattan.
    George Yang, Space.com, 22 June 2026
Verb
  • The experimentation that innovation requires gradually disappears.
    Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • And the pressure of crafting an opening line disappears, because someone else has already done the introductions from a stage.
    Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • If your plants are looking wilted or their pots are drying out super-fast, consider temporarily moving them to a lightly shaded section of your patio or garden until the heat wave passes.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 July 2026
  • Independence Day morning offers one of the best opportunities in decades, as the distant ice giant passes extraordinarily close to Mars in the predawn sky.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • Willis said that in a generation growing up surrounded by screens and algorithms, there's still value in picking up a physical can of paint.
    Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • Currently limited by the DCI-P3 color standard that already covers a significantly wider color range than typical sRGB screens, Apple’s displays still miss out on many of the most vibrant colors visible to the human eye.
    Paul Monckton, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • This news soon wings its way to Irv Ravitz (Tibor Feldman), the magazine’s publisher, who hires her to be Runway’s features editor.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026

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“Flies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flies. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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