with flying colors
with flying colors prepositional phrase: very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner.
Prepositional phrase
(American spelling)
- Very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner.
- He passed the test with flying colors, as everyone had expected.
Forms of with flying colors
| alternative form | with flying colours |
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Origin of with flying colors
The phrase originated in the Age of Exploration when ships would return to port with their flags (colors) raised to signify victory.
Questions about with flying colors
- What does with flying colors mean?
- With flying colors means very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner.
- What part of speech is with flying colors?
- With flying colors is a prepositional phrase.
Words near with flying colors in the dictionary
- with every breath
- with every fiber of one's being
- with every fibre of one's being
- with every ounce of one's being
- with extra steps
- with flying colors
- with flying colours
- with foal
- with friends like that, who needs enemies
- with friends like these, who needs enemies
- with friends like those, who needs enemies
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: with flying colors (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-with flying colors.ogg.
Cite this entry: “with flying colors.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/with_flying_colors. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.