Fly vs. Swap — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
"Fly" refers to moving through the air, while "Swap" means to exchange one thing for another.
Difference Between Fly and Swap
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Fly" and "Swap" are both verbs in the English language, but they convey completely different actions.
To "Fly" means to move or be carried through the air, especially when talking about birds or aircraft. For instance, birds fly from one location to another, and planes fly passengers across continents. Conversely, "Swap" is about exchanging one thing for another, often of similar value or kind. It's common to swap clothes with a friend or swap seats at a theater for a better view.
While "Fly" frequently brings to mind images of skies, wings, and travel, "Swap" is more grounded, associated with trades or exchanges.
In essence, while "Fly" denotes movement in air, "Swap" centers on an exchange of items or positions.
Comparison Chart
Definition
To move through the air.
To exchange one thing for another.
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Part of Speech
Verb
Verb
Synonyms
Soar, glide
Trade, exchange
Antonyms
Land, settle
Keep, retain
Associated Imagery
Birds, planes, skies
Bartering, trading posts, exchanges
Compare with Definitions
Fly
Pilot an aircraft.
He learned to fly a plane.
Swap
Trade places.
Can we swap seats?
Fly
Move swiftly.
Time seems to fly by.
Swap
Replace one with another.
Swap the old battery for a new one.
Fly
A closure for trousers.
Zip the fly up.
Swap
Barter goods.
Villagers used to swap grains for tools.
Fly
An insect with wings.
A fly buzzed around the room.
Swap
Change roles.
For a day, they decided to swap jobs.
Fly
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.
Swap
Take part in an exchange of
We swapped phone numbers
I'd swap places with you any day
I was wondering if you'd like to swap with me
Fly
To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.
Swap
An act of exchanging one thing for another
Let's do a swap
Fly
To travel by air
We flew to Dallas.
Swap
To trade one thing for another.
Fly
To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
Swap
To exchange (one thing) for another.
Fly
To rise in or be carried through the air by the wind
A kite flying above the playground.
Swap
An exchange of one thing for another.
Fly
To float or flap in the air
Pennants flying from the masthead.
Swap
A contract in which two parties agree to exchange periodic interest payments, especially when one payment is at a fixed rate and the other varies according to the performance of a reference rate, such as the prime rate.
Fly
To move or be sent through the air with great speed
Bullets flying in every direction.
A plate that flew from my hands when I stumbled.
Swap
(transitive) To exchange or give (something) in an exchange (for something else).
Fly
To move with great speed; rush or dart
The children flew down the hall.
Swap
To hit, to strike.
Fly
To be communicated to many people
Rumors are flying about their breakup.
Swap
To beat the air, or ply the wings, with a sweeping motion or noise; to flap.
Fly
To flee; escape.
Swap
To descend or fall; to rush hastily or violently.
Fly
To hasten; spring
Flew to her students' defense.
Swap
An exchange of two comparable things.
Fly
To pass by swiftly
A vacation flying by.
Swap
(finance) A financial derivative in which two parties agree to exchange one stream of cashflow against another stream.
Fly
To be dissipated; vanish
All his money has flown.
Swap
Space available in a swap file for use as auxiliary memory.
How much swap do you need?
Fly
Past tense and past participle flied (flīd) Baseball To hit a fly ball.
Swap
(Cantab slang) A social meal at a restaurant between two university societies, usually involving drinking and banter; commonly associated with fining and pennying; equivalent to a crewdate at Oxford University.
Fly
To shatter or explode
The dropped plate flew into pieces.
Swap
A blow; a stroke.
Fly
To become suddenly emotional, especially angry
The driver flew into a rage.
Swap
To strike; - with off.
Fly
(Informal) To gain acceptance or approval; go over
"However sophisticated the reasoning, this particular notion may not fly" (New York Times).
Swap
To exchange (usually two things of the same kind); to swop.
Fly
To cause to fly or float in the air
Fly a kite.
Fly a flag.
Swap
To fall or descend; to rush hastily or violently.
All suddenly she swapt adown to ground.
Fly
(Nautical) To operate under (a particular flag)
A tanker that flies the Liberian flag.
Swap
To beat the air, or ply the wings, with a sweeping motion or noise; to flap.
Fly
To pilot (an aircraft or spacecraft).
Swap
A blow; a stroke.
Fly
To carry or transport in an aircraft or spacecraft
Fly emergency supplies to a stricken area.
Swap
An exchange; a barter.
Fly
To pass over or through in flight
Flew the coastal route in record time.
Swap
Hastily.
Fly
To perform in a spacecraft or aircraft
Flew six missions into space.
Swap
An equal exchange;
We had no money so we had to live by barter
Fly
To flee or run from
Fly a place in panic.
Swap
Exchange or give (something) in exchange for
Fly
To avoid; shun
Fly temptation.
Swap
Move (a piece of a program) into memory, in computer science
Fly
The act of flying; flight.
Swap
Exchange items.
Let's swap shoes for the day.
Fly
The opening, or the fastening that closes this opening, on the front of a pair of pants.
Fly
The flap of cloth that covers this opening.
Fly
A piece of protective fabric secured over a tent and often extended over the entrance.
Fly
A flyleaf.
Fly
(Baseball) A fly ball.
Fly
(Sports) In swimming, butterfly.
Fly
The span of a flag from the staff to the outer edge.
Fly
The outer edge of a flag.
Fly
A flywheel.
Fly
Flies The area directly over the stage of a theater, containing overhead lights, drop curtains, and equipment for raising and lowering sets.
Fly
Chiefly British A one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.
Fly
Any of numerous two-winged insects of the order Diptera, especially any of the family Muscidae, which includes the housefly.
Fly
Any of various other flying insects, such as a caddisfly.
Fly
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.
Fly
Chiefly British Mentally alert; sharp.
Fly
(Slang) Fashionable; stylish.
Fly
(zoology) Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
Fly
(non-technical) Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
Fly
Any similar, but not closely related insect, such as a dragonfly or butterfly.
Fly
(fishing) A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
Fly
(weightlifting) A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
Fly
(swimming) The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys).
Fly
(obsolete) A witch's familiar.
Fly
(obsolete) A parasite.
Fly
(preceded by definite article) A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
Fly
(finance) A butterfly (combination of four options).
Fly
(obsolete) The action of flying; flight.
Fly
An act of flying.
There was a good wind, so I decided to give the kite a fly.
Fly
(baseball) A fly ball.
Fly
(American football) fly route
Fly
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
Fly
The sloping or roof part of the canvas of a tent.
Fly
(often plural) A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
Ha-ha! Your flies are undone!
Fly
The free edge of a flag.
Fly
The horizontal length of a flag.
Fly
(weightlifting) An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
Fly
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
Fly
(nautical) That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Fly
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.
Fly
(historical) A type of small, light, fast horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation (sometimes pluralised flys).
Fly
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..
Fly
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
Fly
(weaving) A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Fly
The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
Fly
A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
Fly
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
Fly
(cotton manufacture) waste cotton
Fly
A wing.
The bullet barely grazed the wild fowl's fly.
Fly
(intransitive) To travel through the air, another gas, or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
Birds of passage fly to warmer regions as it gets colder in winter.
The Concorde flew from Paris to New York faster than any other passenger airplane.
It takes about eleven hours to fly from Frankfurt to Hong Kong.
The little fairy flew home on the back of her friend, the giant eagle.
Fly
To flee, to escape (from).
Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!
Fly
To cause to fly travel or float in the air: to transport via air or the like.
Charles Lindbergh flew his airplane The Spirit of St. Louis across the Atlantic ocean.
Why don’t you go outside and fly kites, kids? The wind is just perfect.
Birds fly their prey to their nest to feed it to their young.
Each day the postal service flies thousands of letters around the globe.
Fly
(intransitive) To travel or proceed very fast; to hasten.
He flew down the hill on his bicycle.
It's five o'clock already. Doesn't time fly?
Fly
(intransitive) To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
A door flies open
A bomb flies apart
Fly
(intransitive) To proceed with great success.
His career is really flying at the moment.
One moment the company was flying high, the next it was on its knees.
Fly
To be accepted, come about or work out.
Let's see if that idea flies.
You know, I just don't think that's going to fly. Why don't you spend your time on something better?
Fly
To display (a flag) on a flagpole.
Fly
(transitive) To hunt with a hawk.
Fly
To be in the winged adult stage.
This species flies from late summer until frost.
Fly
To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
Jones flied to right in his last at-bat.
Fly
Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
Fly
(slang) Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
He's pretty fly.
Fly
(slang) Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
Fly
To move in or pass through the air with wings, as a bird.
Fly
To move through the air or before the wind; esp., to pass or be driven rapidly through the air by any impulse.
Fly
To float, wave, or rise in the air, as sparks or a flag.
Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
Fly
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.
The dark waves murmured as the ships flew on.
Fly
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.
Whither shall I fly to escape their hands ?
Fly
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.
Fly
To cause to fly or to float in the air, as a bird, a kite, a flag, etc.
The brave black flag I fly.
Fly
To fly or flee from; to shun; to avoid.
Sleep flies the wretch.
To fly the favors of so good a king.
Fly
To hunt with a hawk.
Fly
To manage (an aircraft) in flight; as, to fly an aëroplane.
Fly
Any winged insect; esp., one with transparent wings; as, the Spanish fly; firefly; gall fly; dragon fly.
Fly
A hook dressed in imitation of a fly, - used for fishing.
Fly
A familiar spirit; a witch's attendant.
A trifling fly, none of your great familiars.
Fly
A parasite.
Fly
A kind of light carriage for rapid transit, plying for hire and usually drawn by one horse.
Fly
The length of an extended flag from its staff; sometimes, the length from the "union" to the extreme end.
Fly
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
Fly
That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Fly
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.
Fly
The piece hinged to the needle, which holds the engaged loop in position while the needle is penetrating another loop; a latch.
Fly
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
Fly
A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Fly
Formerly, the person who took the printed sheets from the press.
Fly
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.
Fly
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theater.
Fly
The fore flap of a bootee; also, a lap on trousers, overcoats, etc., to conceal a row of buttons.
Fly
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.
Fly
Waste cotton.
Fly
Knowing; wide awake; fully understanding another's meaning.
Fly
Two-winged insects characterized by active flight
Fly
Flap consisting of a piece of canvas that can be drawn back to provide entrance to a tent
Fly
An opening in a garment that is closed by a zipper or buttons concealed by a fold of cloth
Fly
(baseball) a hit that flies up in the air
Fly
Fisherman's lure consisting of a fishhook decorated to look like an insect
Fly
Travel through the air; be airborne;
Man cannot fly
Fly
Move quickly or suddenly;
He flew about the place
Fly
Fly a plane
Fly
Transport by aeroplane;
We fly flowers from the Caribbean to North America
Fly
Cause to fly or float;
Fly a kite
Fly
Be dispersed or disseminated;
Rumors and accusations are flying
Fly
Change quickly from one emotional state to another;
Fly into a rage
Fly
Pass away rapidly;
Time flies like an arrow
Time fleeing beneath him
Fly
Travel in an airplane;
She is flying to Cincinnati tonight
Are we driving or flying?
Fly
Display in the air or cause to float;
Fly a kite
All nations fly their flags in front of the U.N.
Fly
Run away quickly;
He threw down his gun and fled
Fly
Travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft;
Lindbergh was the first to fly the Atlantic
Fly
Hit a fly
Fly
Decrease rapidly and disappear;
The money vanished in las Vegas
All my stock assets have vaporized
Fly
(British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
Fly
To move in the air.
Birds can fly.
Common Curiosities
Do "Fly" and "Swap" mean the same?
No, "Fly" means to move through the air, while "Swap" means to exchange.
What does it mean to "Swap stories"?
It means to exchange and share personal tales or anecdotes.
Can "Fly" refer to insects?
Yes, "Fly" can refer to a winged insect.
Is "Swap" only about physical items?
No, "Swap" can refer to exchanging ideas, roles, or positions too.
How do fish fly?
Fish don't fly; they swim. However, "flying fish" can glide above water surfaces.
What's a "Swap meet"?
A "Swap meet" is an event where people exchange or sell used items.
Can airplanes fly?
Yes, airplanes are designed to fly through the air.
Can "Fly" also be a noun?
Yes, "Fly" can be a noun referring to an insect or a part of clothing.
Can "Fly" mean to flee or escape?
Yes, "Fly" can mean to run away or escape from a situation.
Can "Swap" mean a permanent exchange?
It can, but often "Swap" implies a temporary or reversible exchange.
What is a "Swap deal"?
It's an agreement where parties exchange goods, services, or terms.
Why do birds fly?
Birds fly for various reasons like migration, searching for food, or avoiding predators.
Can you "Swap" opinions?
While you can share or exchange opinions, they aren't "swapped" in the literal sense.
How do helicopters fly?
Helicopters fly by the rotation of their overhead blades creating lift.
Is a "Flyer" someone who flies?
It can be, but "Flyer" also refers to a small handbill advertising something.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
