The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fly \Fly\ (fl[imac]), v. i. [imp. Flew (fl[=u]); p. p. Flown (fl[=o]n); p. pr. & vb. n. Flying.] [OE. fleen, fleen, fleyen, flegen, AS. fle['o]gan; akin to D. vliegen, OHG. fliogan, G. fliegen, Icel. flj[=u]ga, Sw. flyga, Dan. flyve, Goth. us-flaugjan to cause to fly away, blow about, and perh. to L. pluma feather, E. plume. [root]84. Cf. Fledge, Flight, Flock of animals.]
To move in or pass through the air with wings, as a bird.
To move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
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To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
--Job v. 7. -
To move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around; rumor flies.
Fly, envious Time, till thou run out thy race.
--Milton.The dark waves murmured as the ships flew on.
--Bryant. -
To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee.
Fly, ere evil intercept thy flight.
--Milton.Whither shall I fly to escape their hands ?
--Shak. -
To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly; -- usually with a qualifying word; as, a door flies open; a bomb flies apart. To fly about (Naut.), to change frequently in a short time; -- said of the wind. To fly around, to move about in haste. [Colloq.] To fly at, to spring toward; to rush on; to attack suddenly. To fly in the face of, to insult; to assail; to set at defiance; to oppose with violence; to act in direct opposition to; to resist. To fly off, to separate, or become detached suddenly; to revolt. To fly on, to attack. To fly open, to open suddenly, or with violence. To fly out.
To rush out.
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To burst into a passion; to break out into license. To let fly.
To throw or drive with violence; to discharge. ``A man lets fly his arrow without taking any aim.''
--Addison.(Naut.) To let go suddenly and entirely; as, to let fly the sheets.
Usage examples of "to fly off".
I toy with the idea of taking on a young boy's shape and finding some natural way to meet Kerry, just so's she can at least have herself one friend, but all I've got to do is think how that worked out with her mammy and the dark cold comes slipping back into my heart, the grief rears up in my chest, and I have to fly off, hard and fast, fly for miles until I can burn off enough of that grief and pain to at least pretend I'm all of a piece.
The fiend turned away from them and started to fly off, but his surprise was complete, his momentum fully halted, by a silver-streaking arrow that hit him right in the face.
The penthouse suite suited their needs, their lifestyles, gave them each a chance to fly off, together or separately, when the whim struck.
Another thirty seconds and I was going to fly off into the great beyond, shrieking like a banshee.
Because she wanted him to fly off and reproduce and put more men like himself into the breeding population.