flew

Verb

fly (third-person singular simple present flies, present participle flying, simple past flew, past participle flown)

1. (intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
   • Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter.

   Synonyms:

   ascend, aviate, float, flutter, glide, hover, rise, skim, soar, wing

   1. (intransitive) To take a flight on a plane; to pilot or crew a plane.
      • My airline needs me to get clearance before I can fly again.
   2. (intransitive) To be in the winged adult stage.
      • This species flies from late summer until frost.
   3. (colloquial, figuratively, intransitive, project or idea) To be accepted, come about or work out.
      • Let's see if that idea flies.
2. (transitive) To cause to fly (travel or float in the air): to transport via air or the like.
   • Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean.
   1. (transitive) To arrange for someone to take a flight.
      • We flew the kids out to see their grandparents.

See all 60 meanings of fly

Verb (1)

flay (third-person singular simple present flays, present participle flaying, simple past and past participle flayed)

1. (Northern England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive) To cause to fly; put to flight; drive off (by frightening).
2. (Northern England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, transitive) To frighten; scare; terrify.
   • If they'd let me have my way, I could have flayed him into shape1979, “The Trial”, in The Wall, performed by Pink Floyd
3. (Northern England, Scotland, UK, dialectal, intransitive) To be fear-stricken.

Verb (2)

flay (third-person singular simple present flays, present participle flaying, simple past flayed or (archaic) flaid or (obsolete) flew, past participle flayed or (archaic) flaid or (obsolete) flew or (archaic) flain)

1. To strip the skin off; to skin.
   • The farmer flayed him as he had the bear, and so he had both bear-skin and fox-skin.1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 113

   Synonyms:

   fleece, flense, skin

2. To lash or whip.

See all 8 meanings of flay