Synonyms of flies

flies 1 of 2

verb

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

• hovers
• wings
• glides
• floats
• planes
• soars
• sails
• drifts
• flutters
• darts
• aviates
• wafts
• flits
• sweeps
• hangs
• coasts
• catapults
• helicopters
• cruises
• jets
• orbits
• rockets
• stoops
• dives

2

as in escapes

to get free from a dangerous or confining situation

you must fly to safety immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

• escapes
• flees
• leaves
• absconds
• runs away
• runs off
• moves
• gets out
• breaks free
• lams
• goes
• breaks out (of)
• clears out
• avoids
• evades
• loses
• exits
• departs
• shuns
• eludes
• walks out
• pulls out
• quits
• elopes
• rescues
• takes off
• shoves (off)
• extricates
• liberates
• springs
• disentangles
• sallies (forth)
• frees
• releases
• looses
• decamps
• loosens
• emancipates
• redeems
• brings off
• unbinds
• manumits
• unfetters
• uncages
• unchains
• enfranchises

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• remains
• stays
• lingers
• dwells
• abides
• hangs around
• returns
• sticks around
• tarries
• comes back

3

as in scurries

to proceed or move quickly

flew down the concourse to catch his flight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scurries
• travels
• speeds
• rushes
• races
• hurries
• trots
• drives
• chases
• jumps
• zips
• buzzes
• blows
• runs
• scoots
• darts
• scuttles
• tears
• rips
• zooms
• blasts
• shoots
• whirls
• dashes
• bowls
• hurls
• jets
• rams
• barrels
• steps
• motors
• hustles
• jogs
• breezes
• blazes
• hurtles
• rustles
• rockets
• bolts
• whisks
• hies
• hares
• hastens
• bombs
• cracks (on)
• bustles
• beats it
• bundles
• belts
• courses
• humps
• pelts
• nips
• careens
• gallops
• careers
• steps on it
• flits
• makes tracks
• cannonballs
• beetles
• shakes a leg
• hotfoots (it)
• highballs
• scampers
• scuds
• gets a move on
• whizzes
• accelerates
• sprints
• streaks
• outruns
• overtakes
• stampedes
• quickens
• arrows
• outstrips
• outpaces
• steps out
• scuffles
• catches up
• beelines
• fast-forwards

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawls
• drags
• creeps
• pokes
• lingers
• lags
• hangs (around or out)
• pokes
• loiters
• dawdles
• tarries
• saunters
• shuffles
• strolls
• dallies
• ambles
• plods
• slows (down or up)
• lumbers
• decelerates
• dillydallies

4

as in flees

to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening

no one in the movies ever thinks to fly from the ax murderer and immediately call the police

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flees
• retreats
• runs
• bolts
• escapes
• breaks
• runs away
• runs off
• beats it
• beats a retreat
• turns tail
• skedaddles
• hightails (it)
• makes tracks
• bugs out
• absconds
• gets (away)
• skips (out)
• gets out
• elopes
• lams
• makes off
• decamps
• clears out
• lights out
• scarpers
• scats
• scrams
• skirrs
• mizzles

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• confronts
• faces
• dares
• defies
• remains
• stays
• lingers
• dwells
• braves
• hangs around
• abides
• beards
• sticks around
• tarries

5

as in disappears

to cease to be visible

the morning mist had flown, and a sparkling sea lay before us

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disappears
• vanishes
• fades
• melts
• flees
• evaporates
• dissolves
• sinks
• dissipates
• drops out of sight
• dematerializes
• blurs
• evanesces
• disperses
• dies (away or down or out)
• clears
• dries up
• dims
• blanks (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appears
• emerges
• arrives
• comes out
• looms
• issues
• materializes
• shows up
• breaks out

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

• passes
• works
• washes
• stands up
• plays
• holds water
• takes
• holds up
• passes muster
• goes down
• goes over
• goes through
• gets through

flies

2 of 2

noun

plural of fly

as in screens

Related Words

• screens
• shields
• shelters
• canvases
• shades
• umbrellas
• domes
• roofs
• bowers
• tents
• sunshades
• arbors
• ceilings
• canopies
• pavilions
• awnings
• covers
• pergolas
• marquees

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of flies

Verb

FlyDubai, owned by the Emirati government, flies 10 round trips a day. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Life cycle Female apple maggot flies lay 300 to 500 eggs over their 30-day life span. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026

Jet2 mainly flies vacation routes from British airports to destinations around the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Europe. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

The researchers found shielding the diseased Pink1 flies from Earth's magnetic field increased their lifespan by around 20%. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026

When life speeds up, intentional relaxation is usually the first thing that flies out the window. — Cheryl Fenton, Flow Space, 23 Sep. 2026

Henderson's stepfather, Jerry Lowe, flies helicopters for the county sheriff's office. — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

In species ranging from worms and flies to rodents and primates, caloric restriction produces animals that appear biologically younger than their age. — Venki Ramakrishnan, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026

Bent on tracking down the killers, Ethan flies over and heads to the photographic agency that represents Joe’s work. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing flies

• as the crow flies