Flight vs. Fly — What's the Difference?

The ability to fly.

To pilot an aircraft.

The act of flying through the air.

To display a flag or banner.

A series of steps or levels.

A small winged insect.

A scheduled journey by an aircraft.

To move through the air using wings or through technology.

A group flying together.especially in formation.

To travel by air.

Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e.

Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- di- "two", and πτερόν pteron "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced mechanosensory organs known as halteres, which act as high-speed sensors of rotational movement and allow dipterans to perform advanced aerobatics.

The motion of an object in or through a medium, especially through the earth's atmosphere or through space.

To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.

An instance of such motion.

To travel by air

The distance covered in such motion

To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.

The act or process of flying through the air by means of wings.

To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind

The ability to fly

To float or flap in the air

A swift passage or movement

To move or be sent through the air with great speed

A scheduled airline run or trip into space

To move with great speed; rush or dart

A group, especially of birds or aircraft, flying together.

To be communicated to many people

A number of aircraft in the US Air Force forming a subdivision of a squadron.

To flee; escape.

A round of competition, as in a sports tournament.

To hasten; spring

An exuberant or transcendent effort or display

To pass by swiftly

A series of stairs rising from one landing to another.

To be dissipated; vanish

A curved plate or flange that winds in a spiral around the center shaft of an auger, designed to transport loose material upward or backward along the shaft as the auger rotates. Also called flighting.

Past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.

A set of small samples, as of different kinds of wine or beer, that are served at the same time for comparative tasting.

To shatter or explode

The act or an instance of running away; an escape.

To become suddenly emotional, especially angry

To migrate or fly in flocks.

(Informal) To gain acceptance or approval; go over

The act of flying.

To cause to fly or float in the air

An instance of flying.

(Nautical) To operate under (a particular flag)

(collective) A collective term for doves or swallows.

To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).

A trip made by an aircraft, particularly one between two cities or countries, which is often planned or reserved in advance.

To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft

A series of stairs between landings.

To pass over or through in flight

A group of canal locks with a short distance between them

To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft

A floor which is reached by stairs or escalators.

To flee or run from

The feathers on an arrow or dart used to help it follow an even path.

To avoid; shun

A paper airplane. en

The act of flying; flight.

(cricket) The movement of a spinning ball through the air - concerns its speed, trajectory and drift.

The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.

The ballistic trajectory of an arrow or other projectile.

The flap of cloth that covers this opening.

An aerodynamic surface designed to guide such a projectile's trajectory.

A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.

An air force unit.

A flyleaf.

Several sample glasses of a specific wine varietal or other beverage. The pours are smaller than a full glass and the flight will generally include three to five different samples.

(Baseball) A fly ball.

(engineering) The shaped material forming the thread of a screw.

(Sports) In swimming, butterfly.

An episode of imaginative thinking or dreaming.

The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.

The act of fleeing.

The outer edge of a flag.

(obsolete) Fast, swift, fleet.

A flywheel.

To throw the ball in such a way that it has more airtime and more spin than usual.

Flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.

To throw or kick something so as to send it flying with more loft or airtime than usual.

Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.

The act of flying; a passing through the air by the help of wings; volitation; mode or style of flying.

Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.

The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape danger or expected evil; hasty departure.

Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.

Lofty elevation and excursion; a mounting; a soaring; as, a flight of imagination, ambition, folly.

A fishing lure simulating something a fish eats, such as a mayfly or a minnow, made by attaching materials such as feathers, tinsel, and colored thread to a fishhook.

A number of beings or things passing through the air together; especially, a flock of birds flying in company; the birds that fly or migrate together; the birds produced in one season; as, a flight of arrows.

Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.

A series of steps or stairs from one landing to another.

(Slang) Fashionable; stylish.

A kind of arrow for the longbow; also, the sport of shooting with it. See Shaft.

(zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.

The husk or glume of oats.

(non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).

A trip made by or in a flying vehicle, as an airplane, spacecraft, or aeronautical balloon.

Any similar, but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly or butterfly.

A scheduled flight{8} on a commercial airline; as, the next flight leaves at 8 o'clock.

(fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.

A formation of aircraft in flight

(weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)

An instance of traveling by air;

(swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).

A stairway (set of steps) between one floor or landing and the next

(obsolete) A witch's familiar.

The act of escaping physically;

(obsolete) A parasite.

An air force unit smaller than a squadron

(preceded by definite article) A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.

Passing above and beyond ordinary bounds;

(finance) A butterfly (combination of four options).

The path followed by an object moving through space

(obsolete) The action of flying; flight.

A flock of flying birds

An act of flying.

A scheduled trip by plane between designated airports;

(baseball) A fly ball.

Shoot a bird in flight

(American football) fly route

Fly in a flock;

A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.

Decorate with feathers;

The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.

(often plural) A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.

The free edge of a flag.

The horizontal length of a flag.

(weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.

The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.

(nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.

Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.

(historical) A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).

In a knitting machine, the piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch..

The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.

(weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.

The person who took the printed sheets from the press.

A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.

One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.

(cotton manufacture) waste cotton

A wing.

(intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.

To flee, to escape (from).

To cause to fly travel or float in the air: to transport via air or the like.

(intransitive) To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.

(intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.

(intransitive) To proceed with great success.

To be accepted, come about or work out.

To display (a flag) on a flagpole.

(transitive) To hunt with a hawk.

To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).

Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.

(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.

(slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.

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.

To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.

To move or pass swiftly; to hasten away; to circulate rapidly; as, a ship flies on the deep; a top flies around; rumor flies.

To run from danger; to attempt to escape; to flee; as, an enemy or a coward flies. See Note under Flee.

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 cause to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc.

To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.

To hunt with a hawk.

To manage (an aircraft) in flight; as, to fly an aëroplane.

Any winged insect; esp., one with transparent wings; as, the Spanish fly; firefly; gall fly; dragon fly.

A hook dressed in imitation of a fly, - used for fishing.

A familiar spirit; a witch's attendant.

A parasite.

A kind of light carriage for rapid transit, plying for hire and usually drawn by one horse.

The length of an extended flag from its staff; sometimes, the length from the "union" to the extreme end.

The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.

That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.

Two or more vanes set on a revolving axis, to act as a fanner, or to equalize or impede the motion of machinery by the resistance of the air, as in the striking part of a clock.

The piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.

The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.

A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.

Formerly, the person who took the printed sheets from the press.

The outer canvas of a tent with double top, usually drawn over the ridgepole, but so extended as to touch the roof of the tent at no other place.

One of the upper screens of a stage in a theater.

The fore flap of a bootee; also, a lap on trousers, overcoats, etc., to conceal a row of buttons.

A batted ball that flies to a considerable distance, usually high in the air; also, the flight of a ball so struck; as, it was caught on the fly. Also called fly ball.

Waste cotton.

Knowing; wide awake; fully understanding another's meaning.

Two-winged insects characterized by active flight

Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent

An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or buttons concealed by a fold of cloth

(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air

Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect

Travel through the air; be airborne;

Move quickly or suddenly;

Fly a plane

Transport by aeroplane;

Cause to fly or float;

Be dispersed or disseminated;

Change quickly from one emotional state to another;

Pass away rapidly;

Travel in an airplane;

Display in the air or cause to float;

Run away quickly;

Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft;

Hit a fly

Decrease rapidly and disappear;

(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked

No, fly applies to any act of moving through the air, including by birds, humans, and aircraft.

Flight is the act or process of flying, often implying a scheduled air journey.

In aviation, flight refers to a specific journey by aircraft, while fly describes the act of being airborne.

To fly means to move through the air, either by natural ability or with the aid of technology.

While flight can refer to the action of flying, it's more commonly used for scheduled journeys by air vehicles.

A pilot flies or controls an aircraft.

A flight path is the route taken by an aircraft during its journey.

Innovations include the invention of the airplane, jet engines, and advancements in aerodynamics.

Humans cannot naturally fly and require technology, such as aircraft, to perform the act of flying.

Not all flights are commercial; some may be private or for military purposes.

Non-stop flights go directly to the destination without stops, while direct flights may have stops but don't require passengers to change planes.

Flight has been crucial for transportation, exploration, and military purposes throughout history.

Birds fly by using their wings to push against the air and create lift.

Yes, fly can be used figuratively, such as in "time flies."

Yes, many insects besides flies, such as bees and mosquitoes, can fly.