The Wordsmith Dictionary

Flee, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fleeing.] Etym: [OE. fleon, fleen, AS. fleón (imperf. fleáh ); akin to D. vlieden, OHG. & OS. fliohan, G. fliehen, Icel. fl (imperf. fl ), Dan. flye, Sw. fly (imperf. flydde ), Goth. pliuhan. (Flight. ]

Defn: To run away, as from danger or evil; to avoid in an alarmed or cowardly manner; to hasten off; -- usually with from. This is sometimes omitted, making the verb transitive. [He ] cowardly fled, not having struck one stroke. Shak. Flee fornication. 1 Cor. vi. 18. So fled his enemies my warlike father. Shak.

Note: When great speed is to be indicated, we commonly use fly, not flee; as, fly hence to France with the utmost speed. "Whither shall I fly to 'scape their hands " Shak. See Fly, v. i., 5.

FLEECE

Fleece, n. Etym: [OE. flees, AS. fleós; akin to D. flies, vlies. ]

1. The entire coat of wood that covers a sheep or other similar animal; also, the quantity shorn from a sheep, or animal, at one time. Who shore me Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece. Milton.

2. Any soft woolly covering resembling a fleece.

3. (Manuf.)

Defn: The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine. Fleece wool, wool shorn from the sheep. -- Golden fleece. See under Golden.

FLEECE

Fleece, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fleeced; p. pr. & vb. n. Fleecing. ]

1. To deprive of a fleece, or natural covering of wool.

2. To strip of money or other property unjustly, especially by trickery or frand; to bring to straits by oppressions and exactions. Whilst pope and prince shared the wool betwixt them, the people were finely fleeced. Fuller.

3. To spread over as with wool. [R.] Thomson.

FLEECED

FLEECED Fleeced, a.

1. Furnished with a fleece; as, a sheep is well fleeced. Spenser.

2. Stripped of a fleece; plundered; robbed.

FLEECELESS

FLEECELESS Fleece "less, a.

Defn: Without a fleece.

FLEECER

FLEECER Flee "cer, n.

Defn: One who fleeces or strips unjustly, especially by trickery or fraund. Prynne.

FLEECY

FLEECY Flee "cy, a.

Defn: Covered with, made of, or resembling, a fleece. "Fleecy flocks." Prior.

FLEEN

FLEEN Fleen, n. pl.

Defn: Obs. pl. of Flea. Chaucer.

FLEER

FLEER Fle "er, n.

Defn: One who flees. Ld. Berners.

FLEER

Fleer, [imp. & p. p. Fleered (; p. pr. & vb. n. Fleering. ] Etym: [OE. flerien; cf. Scot. fleyr, Norw. flira to titter, giggle, laugh at nothing, MHG. vlerre, vlarre, a wide wound. ]

1. To make a wry face in contempt, or to grin in scorn; to deride; to sneer; to mock; to gibe; as, to fleer and flout. To fleer and scorn at our solemnity. Shak.

2. To grin with an air of civility; to leer. [Obs. ] Grinning and fleering as though they went to a bear baiting. Latimer.

FLEER

FLEER Fleer, v. t.

Defn: To mock; to flout at. Beau. & Fl.

FLEER

FLEER Fleer, n.

1. A word or look of derision or mockery. And mark the fleers, the gibes, and notable scorn. Shak.

2. A grin of civility; a leer. [Obs. ] A sly, treacherous fleer on the face of deceivers. South.

FLEERER

FLEERER Fleer "er, n.

Defn: One who fleers. Beau. & Fl.

FLEERINGLY

FLEERINGLY Fleer "ing *ly, adv.

Defn: In a fleering manner.

FLEET

Fleet, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fleeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fleeting. ] Etym: [OE. fleten, fleoten, to swim, AS. fleótan to swim, float; akin to D. vlieten to flow, OS. fliotan, OHG. fliozzan, G. fliessen, Icel. fljota to float, flow, Sw. flyta, D. flyde, L. pluere to rain, Gr. plu to swim, sail. sq. root84. Cf. Fleet, n. & a., Float, Pluvial, Flow. ]

1. To sail; to float. [Obs. ] And in frail wood on Adrian Gulf doth fleet. Spenser.

2. To fly swiftly; to pass over quickly; to hasten; to flit as a light substance. All the unaccomplished works of Nature's hand, ... Dissolved on earth, fleet hither. Milton.

3. (Naut. )

Defn: To slip on the whelps or the barrel of a capstan or windlass; - - said of a cable or hawser.

FLEET

FLEET Fleet, v. t.

1. To pass over rapidly; to skin the surface of; as, a ship that fleets the gulf. Spenser.

2. To hasten over; to cause to pass away lighty, or in mirth and joy. Many young gentlemen flock to him, and fleet the time carelessly. Shak.

3. (Naut. ) (a ) To draw apart the blocks of; -- said of a tackle. Totten. (b ) To cause to slip down the barrel of a capstan or windlass, as a rope or chain.

FLEET

Fleet, a. [Compar. Fleeter; superl. Fleetest.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. flj quick. See Fleet, v. i.]

1. Swift in motion; moving with velocity; light and quick in going from place to place; nimble. In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong. Milton.

2. Light; superficially thin; not penetring deep, as soil. [Prov. Eng. ] Mortimer.

FLEET

Fleet, n. Etym: [OE. flete, fleote, AS. fleót ship, fr. fleótan to float, swim. See Fleet, v. i. and cf. Float. ]

Defn: A number of vessels in company, especially war vessels; also, the collective naval force of a country, etc. Fleet captain, the senior aid of the admiral of a fleet, when a captain. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

FLEET

Fleet, n. Etym: [AS. fleót a place where vessels float, bay, river; akin to D. vliet rill, brook, G. fliess. See Fleet, v. i.]

1. A flood; a creek or inlet; a bay or estuary; a river; -- obsolete, except as a place name, -- as Fleet Street in London. Together wove we nets to entrap the fish In floods and sedgy fleets. Matthewes.

2. A former prison in London, which originally stood near a stream, the Fleet (now filled up ). Fleet parson, a clergyman of low character, in, or in the vicinity of, the Fleet prison, who was ready to unite persons in marriage (called Fleet marriage ) at any hour, without public notice, witnesses, or consent of parents.

FLEET

Fleet, v. t. Etym: [AS. flet cream, fr. fleótan to float. See Fleet, v. i.]

Defn: To take the cream from; to skim. [Prov. Eng. ] Johnson.

FLEETEN

FLEETEN Fleet "en, n.

Defn: Fleeted or skimmed milk. [Obs. ] Fleeten face, a face of the color of fleeten, i. e., blanched; hence, a coward. "You know where you are, you fleeten face. " Beau. & Fl.

FLEET-FOOT

FLEET-FOOT Fleet "-foot `, a.

Defn: Swift of foot. Shak.

FLEETING

FLEETING Fleet "ing, a.

Defn: Passing swiftly away; not durable; transient; transitory; as, the fleeting hours or moments.

Syn. -- Evanescent; ephemeral. See Transient.

FLEETINGLY

FLEETINGLY Fleet "ing *ly, adv.

Defn: In a fleeting manner; swiftly.

FLEETINGS

FLEETINGS Fleet "ings, n. pl.

Defn: A mixture of buttermilk and boiling whey; curds. [prov. Eng. ] Wright.

FLEETLY

FLEETLY Fleet "ly, adv.

Defn: In a fleet manner; rapidly.

FLEETNESS

FLEETNESS Fleet "ness, n.

Defn: Swiftness; rapidity; velocity; celerity; speed; as, the fleetness of a horse or of time.

New American Oxford Dictionary

flee

flee |flē fli | ▶verb ( flees, fleeing; past and past participle fled |fled | ) [ no obj. ] run away from a place or situation of danger: a man was shot twice as he fled from five masked youths. • [ with obj. ] run away from (someone or something ): he was forced to flee the country | figurative : all remaining doubt that he was a guerilla began to flee my mind. ORIGIN Old English flēon, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieden and German fliehen .

fleece

fleece |flēs flis | ▶noun 1 the woolly covering of a sheep or goat: as the sheep came on board, we grabbed their long shaggy fleeces | he clutched the ram by two handfuls of thick fleece. • the amount of wool shorn from a sheep in a single piece at one time. 2 a thing resembling a sheep's woolly covering, in particular: • a soft warm fabric with a texture similar to sheep's wool, used as a lining material. • a jacket or other garment made from such a fabric. • Heraldry a representation of a fleece suspended from a ring. ▶verb [ with obj. ] 1 informal obtain a great deal of money from (someone ), typically by overcharging or swindling them: money that authorities say he fleeced from well-to-do acquaintances. 2 literary cover as if with a fleece: the sky was half blue, half fleeced with white clouds. DERIVATIVES fleeced adjective ORIGIN Old English flēos, flēs; related to Dutch vlies and German Vlies .

fleecy

fleer

fleer |ˈfli (ə )r ˈflɪər | ▶verb [ no obj. ] literary laugh impudently or jeeringly: he fleered at us. ▶noun archaic an impudent or jeering look or speech. ORIGIN late Middle English: probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Norwegian and Swedish dialect flira ‘to grin. ’

fleet

fleet 1 |flēt flit | ▶noun the largest group of naval vessels under one commander, organized for specific tactical or other purposes: an invasion fleet. • (the fleet ) a country's navy: the US fleet. • a group of ships sailing together, engaged in the same activity, or under the same ownership: the small port supports a fishing fleet. • a number of ships, vehicles or aircraft operating together or under the same ownership: a fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospital. ORIGIN Old English flēot ‘ship, shipping, ’ from flēotan ‘float, swim ’ (see fleet 4 ).

fleet

fleet 2 |flit flēt | ▶adjective fast and nimble in movement: a man of advancing years, but fleet of foot . DERIVATIVES fleet ly adverb, fleet ness noun ORIGIN early 16th cent.: probably from Old Norse fljótr, of Germanic origin and related to fleet 4 .

fleet

fleet 3 |flit flēt | ▶noun Brit. a marshland creek, channel, or ditch. ORIGIN Old English flēot, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vliet, also to fleet 4 .

fleet

fleet 4 |flit flēt | ▶verb [ no obj. ] literary move or pass quickly: a variety of expressions fleeted across his face | time may fleet and youth may fade. • [ with obj. ] pass (time ) rapidly. • fade away; be transitory: the cares of boyhood fleet away . ORIGIN Old English flēotan ‘float, swim, ’ of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieten and German fliessen, also to flit and float .

fleet

fleet 5 |fliːt | dialect ▶adjective (of water ) shallow. ▶adverb at or to a small depth. ORIGIN early 17th cent.: perhaps based on an Old English cognate of Dutch vloot ‘shallow ’ and related to fleet 4 .

Fleet Admiral

Fleet Ad mi ral |ˈflid ˈˌædm (ə )rəl | ▶noun an admiral of the highest rank in the US Navy (awarded only in wartime ).

Fleet Air Arm

Fleet Air Arm historical the aviation service of the Royal Navy.

fleet-footed

fleet-foot ed ▶adjective nimble and fast on one's feet: the fleet-footed sprinter captured his third gold medal.

fleeting

fleet ing |ˈflētiNG ˈflidɪŋ | ▶adjective lasting for a very short time: hoping to get a fleeting glimpse of a whale underwater. DERIVATIVES fleet ing ly adverb, fleet ing ness noun

Fleet Street

Fleet Street |ˈflit ˌstrit | a street in central London in which the offices of national newspapers were located until the mid-1980s (often used to refer to the British press ): the hottest story in Fleet Street.

Oxford Dictionary

flee

flee |fliː | ▶verb ( flees, fleeing; past and past participle fled |flɛd | ) [ no obj. ] run away from a place or situation of danger: to escape the fighting, his family fled from their village. • [ with obj. ] run away from (someone or something ): he was forced to flee the country . ORIGIN Old English flēon, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieden and German fliehen .

fleece

fleece |fliːs | ▶noun 1 the woolly covering of a sheep or goat. • the wool shorn from a sheep in a single piece at one time. • Heraldry a representation of a fleece suspended from a ring. 2 [ mass noun ] a soft warm fabric with a texture similar to sheep's wool, used as a lining material. • a jacket or other garment made from a fleece fabric. ▶verb [ with obj. ] 1 informal obtain a great deal of money from (someone ), typically by overcharging or swindling them: the city's cab drivers are notorious for fixing fares and fleecing tourists. 2 literary cover as if with a fleece: the sky was half blue, half fleeced with white clouds. DERIVATIVES fleeced adjective ORIGIN Old English flēos, flēs, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlies and German Vlies .

fleecy

fleecy |ˈfliːsi | ▶adjective ( fleecier, fleeciest ) 1 made of or lined with a soft, warm fabric: a fleecy sweatshirt. 2 white and fluffy-looking: little fleecy clouds. DERIVATIVES fleecily adverb, fleeciness noun

fleer

fleer |flɪə | ▶verb [ no obj. ] literary laugh impudently or jeeringly. ▶noun archaic an impudent or jeering look or speech. ORIGIN late Middle English: probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Norwegian and Swedish dialect flira ‘to grin ’.

fleet

fleet 1 |fliːt | ▶noun a group of ships sailing together, engaged in the same activity, or under the same ownership: the small port supports a fishing fleet | a fleet of battleships. • (the fleet ) a country's navy: the US fleet. • a number of vehicles or aircraft operating together or under the same ownership: a fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospital. ORIGIN Old English flēot ‘ship, shipping ’, from flēotan ‘float, swim ’ (see fleet 4 ).

fleet

fleet 2 |fliːt | ▶adjective chiefly literary fast and nimble in movement: a man of advancing years, but fleet of foot . DERIVATIVES fleetly adverb, fleetness noun ORIGIN early 16th cent.: probably from Old Norse fljótr, of Germanic origin and related to fleet 4 .

fleet

fleet 3 |fliːt | ▶noun 1 dialect a marshland creek, channel, or ditch. 2 ( the Fleet ) a stream, now wholly underground, running into the Thames east of Fleet Street. • historical a prison that stood near the Fleet. ORIGIN Old English flēot, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vliet, also to fleet 4 .

fleet

fleet 4 |fliːt | ▶verb [ no obj. ] literary move or pass quickly: a variety of expressions fleeted across his face. • [ with obj. ] pass (time ) rapidly. • fade away; be transitory: the cares of boyhood fleet away . ORIGIN Old English flēotan ‘float, swim ’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlieten and German fliessen, also to flit and float .

fleet

Fleet Admiral

Fleet Admiral ▶noun the highest rank of admiral in the US navy.

Fleet Air Arm

Fleet Air Arm historical the aviation service of the Royal Navy.

fleet-footed

fleet-footed ▶adjective nimble and fast on one's feet: the fleet-footed sprinter ran full out.

fleeting

fleet |ing |ˈfliːtɪŋ | ▶adjective lasting for a very short time: for a fleeting moment I saw the face of a boy. DERIVATIVES fleetingly adverb, fleetingness noun

Fleet Street

Fleet Street a street in central London in which the offices of national newspapers were located until the mid 1980s (often used to refer to the British Press ): the hottest story in Fleet Street.

American Oxford Thesaurus

flee

flee verb 1 she fled to her room: run (away /off ), run for it, make a run for it, dash, take flight, be gone, make off, take off, take to one's heels, make a break for it, bolt, beat a (hasty ) retreat, make a quick exit, make one's getaway, escape; informal beat it, clear off /out, vamoose, skedaddle, split, leg it, turn tail, scram, light out, cut out, peel out; archaic fly. 2 they fled the country: run away from, leave hastily, escape from; informal skip; archaic fly.

fleece

fleece noun a sheep's fleece: wool, coat. ▶verb informal we were fleeced by a scalper. See swindle (verb ).

fleecy

fleecy adjective a fleecy robe: fluffy, woolly, downy, soft, fuzzy, furry, velvety, shaggy; technical floccose, pilose. ANTONYMS coarse.

fleet

fleet 1 noun the fleet set sail: navy, naval force, (naval ) task force, armada, flotilla, squadron, convoy.

fleet

fleet 2 adjective literary as fleet as a greyhound: nimble, agile, lithe, lissome, acrobatic, supple, light-footed, light on one's feet, spry, sprightly; quick, fast, swift, rapid, speedy, brisk, smart; informal zippy, twinkle-toed.

fleeting

fleeting adjective ours was a fleeting romance: brief, short, short-lived, quick, momentary, cursory, transient, ephemeral, fugitive, passing, transitory; literary evanescent. ANTONYMS lasting. CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD See temporary . These notes show fine distinctions in meaning between closely related synonyms to help you find the best word.

Oxford Thesaurus

flee

flee verb 1 she fled to her room and hid: run, run away, run off, make a run for it, run for it, take flight, be gone, make off, take off, take to one's heels, make a break for it, bolt, beat a (hasty ) retreat, make a quick exit, make one's getaway, escape, absent oneself, make oneself scarce, abscond, head for the hills, do a disappearing act; informal beat it, clear off, clear out, vamoose, skedaddle, split, cut and run, leg it, show a clean pair of heels, turn tail, scram; Brit. informal do a runner, scarper, do a bunk; N. Amer. informal light out, bug out, cut out, peel out, take a powder, skidoo; Austral. informal go through, shoot through; vulgar slang bugger off; archaic fly. 2 they fled the country: run away from, leave hastily /abruptly, fly, escape from; informal skip.

fleece

fleece noun a sheep's fleece: wool, coat, hair, fur, pelt. ▶verb informal the traders are notorious for fleecing tourists. See cheat (sense 1 of the verb ).

fleecy

fleecy adjective a fleecy tracksuit: fluffy, woolly, downy, fuzzy, feathery, furry, velvety, shaggy; soft, smooth, silky, silken, satiny, cushiony; technical floccose, lanate, pilose; rare lanose. ANTONYMS coarse.

fleet

fleet 1 noun the fleet set sail: navy, naval force, (naval ) task force, armada, flotilla, squadron, convoy, column.

fleet

fleet 2 adjective literary the horse was strong but fleet, built for speed. See nimble (sense 1 ), fast 1 (sense 1 of the adjective ).

fleeting

fleeting adjective we only had a fleeting glimpse of the sun: brief, transient, short-lived, short, momentary, sudden, cursory, transitory, ephemeral, fugitive, evanescent, fading, vanishing, flying, fly-by-night, passing, flitting, here today and gone tomorrow, temporary, impermanent, short-term, rapid, quick, swift, rushed; literary fugacious. ANTONYMS lasting. CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORD fleeting, transient, transitory, ephemeral See transient . These notes show fine distinctions in meaning between closely related synonyms to help you find the best word.

Duden Dictionary

Fleece

Fleece Substantiv, Neutrum , das |fliːs |englisch fleece, verwandt mit Vlies synthetischer Flausch 1

Fleecejacke

Fleece ja cke Substantiv, feminin , die |ˈfliːs …|Jacke aus Fleece

Fleet

Fleet Substantiv, Neutrum landschaftlich , das |Fl ee t |das Fleet; Genitiv: des Fleet [e ]s, Plural: die Fleete aus dem Niederdeutschen < mittelniederdeutsch vlēt, eigentlich = fließendes Wasser a schiffbarer Kanal in norddeutschen Küstenstädten, besonders in Hamburg b größerer Entwässerungsgraben, besonders in der Marsch

Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary

flee

flee /fliː /〖語源は「飛んで逃げる (fly )」〗(名 )flight 2 動詞～s /-z /; fled /fled /; ～ing 自動詞 1 ｟書｠ «場所危険などから /…へ » (すばやく )逃亡する , のがれる «from /to , into » ▸ My family were forced to flee from our home in Iraq .家族はイラクの家から避難せざるをえなかった 2 〈時間が〉過ぎ去る ; 〈ほほえみなどが〉 (たちまち )消える .他動詞〈場所災害など〉から逃げる ; …を逃避する .

fleece

fleece /fliːs /名詞 C U 1 (1頭分の )羊毛 .2 フリース ; フリース衣料〘コートベストなど〙.動詞他動詞｟くだけて｠【人から】〈金〉をまきあげる, ふんだくる «(out ) of » .

fleecy

fleec y /flíːsi /形容詞〖通例名詞の前で〗(羊毛のように )ふわふわした, ふんわりした〈服雲髪など〉.

fleet

fleet 1 /fliːt /〖語源は「浮かぶ」; floatと同源〗名詞複～s /-ts /C 〖集合的に〗1 艦隊 (! squadron より大きい ) ;〖the ～〗(海軍の )全艦隊, 海軍 (!通例修飾語句を伴う ) ▸ the American fleet アメリカ艦隊 [海軍 ]2 〖しばしばa ～〗(一会社所属の )(全 )車両 [航空機 ]▸ a fleet of taxis (同一会社の )全タクシー 3 船団, 船隊 ▸ a fishing fleet 漁船団～́ à dmiral ｟米｠海軍元帥（げんすい） (｟英｠admiral of the fleet ).F -̀ Á ir À rm 〖the ～〗〘史〙英国海軍航空隊 .

fleet

fleet 2 形容詞｟文｠速い (fast )▸ be fleet of foot 足が速い

fleet-footed

fl è et-f ó ot ed /-ɪd /形容詞足の速い .

fleeting

fl é et ing 形容詞〖通例名詞の前で〗つかの間の, はかない, 長くは続かない (brief ); ちらっと [ちょっと, さっと ]した〈動作など〉; さっと通り過ぎる〈人物〉▸ for a fleeting moment ほんの一瞬 ▸ catch a fleeting glimpse of A Aをちらっと見る～ly 副詞

Fleet Street

Fl é et Str è et 名詞 1 フリート街〘1500年ごろから英国の主要新聞社が本社を置いたLondonの通り〙.2 (英国 )新聞業界 [記者 ].