fly - flee

◊ 'fly'

Fly is usually used as an intransitive verb. Its other forms are flies, flying, flew, flown.

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When a bird or insect flies, it moves through the air.

My canary flew away.

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If you fly somewhere, you travel there in a plane.

You can fly from Cardiff to Ostend.

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Fly is sometimes used to say that someone leaves a place in a hurry.

I'm sorry, I must fly.

By the time they returned, their prisoner had flown.

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◊ 'flee'

Flee is used as a transitive or intransitive verb. Its other forms are flees, fleeing, fled.

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If you flee someone or something or flee from them, you get away from them because you think they will harm you.

He had fled his executioners and crossed the ocean into a strange land.

The population prepared to flee the heat for the relative cool of the rivers.

When he reached it, the gazelle fled from him.

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If you flee a place or flee from it, you get away from it quickly, because you think you are in danger there.

Along with thousands of others, he fled the country.

We fled from the hotel that night.

Most of the residents have fled.

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Flee is normally used only in writing. In conversation, you usually use other expressions which have the same meaning.

Last Thanksgiving Day I ran away from a mugger in Chicago.

I wanted to get away from the fighting.

You must get out of this area fast!

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