flying

flying — noun

1. the activity of going from one place to another in an aircraft, especially as a

1.nounA2
Definition

the activity of going from one place to another in an aircraft, especially as a passenger

Example

Pim was nervous about flying, so he took a deep breath before boarding the plane.

uncountable noun used as object of preposition 'about'

Flying has become much cheaper in recent years, allowing more families to take holidays abroad.

flying as subject of a sentence

Common collocations
  • fear of flying
  • flying lessons
  • flying hours
  • flying experience
Synonyms
  • aviation

    more technical; refers to the industry or science of flying rather than the personal activity

  • air travel

    more formal; used when contrasting with other travel modes

Antonyms

Usage Note

Commonly used as a gerund (the -ing form of 'fly') and typically uncountable — you cannot say 'a flying' or 'two flyings'.

Common Mistakes

I took a flying from Taipei to Tokyo.
I took a flight from Taipei to Tokyo.
'flying' is an activity, not a countable event; use 'flight' for a single trip.

flying — adjective

Word family

  • fly
    verbA1
  • flight
    nounA2
  • flyer
    nounB1
  • overfly
    verbC1
  • flightless
    adjectiveB2
  • flew
    verbA1
  • flown
    verbA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Winged' refers strictly to creatures or objects that have wings as a physical feature — a butterfly is winged, but a balloon is not. 'Aerial' is broader and more formal; it describes anything that operates or exists in the air, such as an aerial photograph or an aerial view. 'Airborne' focuses on the state of being off the ground rather than the ability to fly — dust particles are airborne but cannot truly fly. 'Flying' (sense 1) combines both ability and typical behaviour: a 'flying insect' is one that normally flies, using its wings, whereas a 'winged insect' simply has wings (it may not actually fly). Choose 'flying' for everyday descriptions of creatures in action, 'winged' for biological classification, 'aerial' for technical or formal settings, and 'airborne' for objects suspended in the air.

wingedaerial ↗airborne

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Flying' is the present-participle form of the verb 'fly', which traces back to Old English 'flēogan' (to fly, to flee). The word comes from the Proto-Germanic root 'fleuganą', which itself derives from the Proto-Indo-European root 'pleu-' meaning 'to flow, to float, to swim'. Related words in other Germanic languages include Dutch 'vliegen' and German 'fliegen'. The sense 'very well; with a high mark' (adjective sense 3) arose from the 17th-century naval expression 'with flying colours', referring to a victorious ship returning to port with its flags still flying rather than lowered in defeat.