1. (theatre) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
   "The stagehands operated the rigging from the flies"

1. Two-winged insects characterized by active flight
   "The fly buzzed annoyingly around the room"
    
2. An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or by buttons concealed under a fold of cloth
   "The tailor carefully stitched the fly front of the trousers";
   - fly front
    
3. Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
   "They opened the tent-fly to let in some fresh air";
   - tent-fly, rainfly [N. Amer], fly sheet, tent flap
    
4. (baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
   "The outfielder easily caught the fly ball";
   - fly ball
    
5. Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
   "He tied a new fly to catch trout in the mountain stream"
    
6. [UK, archaic] A horse-drawn carriage
   "a fly at the door from the Kings Arms, and his step-daughter with all her little bags and boxes, getting into it"

1. Travel through the air; be airborne
   "Man cannot fly";
   - wing
    
2. Move quickly or suddenly
   "He flew about the place"
    
3. (air travel) travel in an aeroplane
   "she is flying to Cincinnati tonight"; "Are we driving or flying?"
    
4. Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft
   "Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic"
    
5. Operate an aeroplane
   "He flew the jet over Cuba";
   - aviate, pilot
    
6. Transport by aeroplane
   "We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America"
    
7. Display in the air or cause to float
   "fly a kite"; "All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N"
    
8. Be dispersed or disseminated
   "Rumors and accusations are flying"
    
9. Run away quickly
   "The burglar flew when he heard the alarm";
   - flee, take flight, cut and run [informal]
    
10. Change quickly from one emotional state to another
    "fly into a rage"
     
11. Pass away rapidly
    "Time flies like an arrow";
    - fell, vanish
     
12. (baseball) hit a fly
    "The batter flew out to centre field"
     
13. Decrease rapidly and disappear
    "Prices flew down during the sale";
    - vanish, vaporize, vaporise [Brit]

Derived forms: flieses

Type of: break away, bunk [informal], carry, cause, change, come down, control, decrease, dent, diminish, dipteran, dipteron, dipterous insect, elapse, escape, fall, fish lure, fisherman's lure, flap, fly the coop [informal], get, glide by, go, go along, go by, go down, have, head for the hills [informal], hightail it [N. Amer, informal], hit, hitting, induce, journey, lam [N. Amer, informal], lapse, leg it [Brit, informal], lessen, locomote, make, move, opening, operate, pass, run, run away, scarper [Brit, informal], scat [informal], show, sink, slide by, slip away, slip by, space, stimulate, striking, take to the woods [informal], transport, travel, turn tail [informal], two-winged insects

Part of: Diptera, fly tent, garment, order Diptera

Encyclopedia: Flies, Brian