The difference between Fly and Stay
When used as nouns, fly means any insect of the order diptera, whereas stay means continuance or a period of time spent in a place.
When used as verbs, fly means to travel through the air, another gas or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface, whereas stay means to prop.
When used as adjectives, fly means quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp, whereas stay means steep.
Stay is also adverb with the meaning: steeply.
check bellow for the other definitions of Fly and Stay
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Fly as a noun (zoology):
Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called .
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Fly as a noun (non-technical):
Especially, any of the insects of the family Muscidae, such as the common housefly (other families of Diptera include mosquitoes and midges).
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Fly as a noun:
Any similar, but unrelated insect such as dragonfly or butterfly.
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Fly as a noun (fishing):
A lightweight fishing lure resembling an insect.
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Fly as a noun (weightlifting):
A chest exercise performed by moving extended arms from the sides to in front of the chest. (also flye)
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Fly as a noun (obsolete):
A witch's familiar.
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Fly as a noun (obsolete):
A parasite.
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Fly as a noun (swimming):
The butterfly stroke (plural is normally flys)
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Fly as a noun:
A simple dance in which the hands are shaken in the air, popular in the 1960s.
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Fly as a verb (intransitive):
To travel through the air, another gas or a vacuum, without being in contact with a grounded surface.
Examples:
"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 Hongkong. The little fairy flew home on the back of her friend, the giant eagle."
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Fly as a verb (ambitransitive, archaic, poetic):
To flee, to escape (from).
Examples:
"'Fly, my lord! The enemy are upon us!"
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Fly as a verb (transitive, ergative):
To cause to fly : to transport via air or the like.
Examples:
"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 post flies thousands of letters around the globe."
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Fly as a verb (intransitive, colloquial, of a proposal, project or idea):
To be accepted, come about or work out.
Examples:
"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?"
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Fly as a verb (intransitive):
To travel very fast, hasten.
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Fly as a verb:
To move suddenly, or with violence; to do an act suddenly or swiftly.
Examples:
"a door flies open; a bomb flies apart"
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Fly as a verb:
To hunt with a hawk.
Examples:
"rfquotek Francis Bacon"
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Fly as a verb (transitive):
To display a flag on a flagpole.
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Fly as a noun (obsolete):
The action of flying; flight.
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Fly as a noun:
An act of flying.
Examples:
"We had a quick half-hour fly back into the city."
"There was a good wind, so I decided to give the kite a fly."
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Fly as a noun (baseball):
A fly ball.
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Fly as a noun (now, historical):
A type of small, fast carriage (sometimes pluralised ).
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Fly as a noun:
A piece of canvas that covers the opening at the front of a tent.
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Fly as a noun (often plural):
A strip of material (sometimes hiding zippers or buttons) at the front of a pair of trousers, pants, underpants, bootees, etc.
Examples:
"Ha-ha! Your flies are undone!"
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Fly as a noun:
The free edge of a flag.
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Fly as a noun:
The horizontal length of a flag.
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Fly as a noun (weightlifting):
An exercise that involves wide opening and closing of the arms perpendicular to the shoulders.
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Fly as a noun:
The part of a vane pointing the direction from which the wind blows.
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Fly as a noun (nautical):
That part of a compass on which the points are marked; the compass card.
Examples:
"rfquotek Totten"
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Fly as a noun:
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.
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Fly as a noun:
A heavy wheel, or cross arms with weights at the ends on a revolving axis, to regulate or equalize the motion of machinery by means of its inertia, where the power communicated, or the resistance to be overcome, is variable, as in the steam engine or the coining press. See flywheel.
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Fly as a noun (historical):
A light horse-drawn carriage that can be hired for transportation.
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Fly as a noun:
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.
Examples:
"rfquotek Knight"
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Fly as a noun:
The pair of arms revolving around the bobbin, in a spinning wheel or spinning frame, to twist the yarn.
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Fly as a noun (weaving):
A shuttle driven through the shed by a blow or jerk.
Examples:
"rfquotek Knight"
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Fly as a noun (printing, historical):
The person who took the printed sheets from the press.
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Fly as a noun (printing, historical):
A vibrating frame with fingers, attached to a power printing press for doing the same work.
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Fly as a noun:
One of the upper screens of a stage in a theatre.
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Fly as a noun (cotton manufacture):
waste cotton
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Fly as a verb (intransitive, baseball):
To hit a fly ball; to hit a fly ball that is caught for an out. Compare ground (verb) and line (verb).
Examples:
"Jones flied to right in his last at-bat."
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Fly as an adjective (slang, dated):
Quick-witted, alert, mentally sharp.
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Fly as an adjective (slang):
Well dressed, smart in appearance; in style, cool.
Examples:
"He's pretty fly."
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Fly as an adjective (slang):
Beautiful; displaying physical beauty.
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Fly as an adjective (slang, chiefly, Doric):
Sneaky
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Fly as a noun (rural, Scotland, Northern England):
A wing.
Examples:
"The bullet barely grazed the wild fowl's fly."
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady.
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder.
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To restrain; withhold; check; stop.
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To cause to cease; to put an end to.
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back.
Examples:
"The governor stayed the execution until the appeal could be heard."
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Stay as a verb (transitive):
To hold the attention of.
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Stay as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To bear up under; to endure; to hold out against; to resist.
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Stay as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To wait for; await.
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Stay as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To remain for the purpose of; to wait for.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To rest; depend; rely.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To stop; come to a stand or standstill.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, archaic):
To come to an end; cease.
Examples:
"That day the storm stayed."
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, archaic):
To dwell; linger; tarry; wait.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, dated):
To make a stand; to stand firm.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end.
Examples:
"That horse stays well."
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Stay as a verb (intransitive):
To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
Examples:
"We stayed in Hawaii for a week.  I can only stay for an hour."
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To wait; rest in patience or expectation.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, obsolete, used with ''on'' or ''upon''):
To wait as an attendant; give ceremonious or submissive attendance.
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Stay as a verb (intransitive):
To continue to have a particular quality.
Examples:
"Wear gloves so your hands stay warm."
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, US South, AAVE, colloquial, non-standard):
To live; reside
Examples:
"Hey, where do you stay at?"
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Stay as a noun:
Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time; sojourn.
Examples:
"I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii."
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Stay as a noun:
A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.
Examples:
"The governor granted a stay of execution."
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Stay as a noun (archaic):
A stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress.
Examples:
"stand at a stay"
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Stay as a noun:
A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.
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Stay as a noun (nautical):
A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.
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Stay as a noun:
Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
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Stay as a noun (obsolete):
Hindrance; let; check.
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Stay as a noun:
A prop; a support.
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Stay as a noun:
A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.
Examples:
"Where are the stays for my collar?"
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Stay as a noun:
(plural) A corset
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Stay as a noun (archaic):
A fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on.
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Stay as a noun (nautical):
A strong rope supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel.
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Stay as a noun:
A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element.
Examples:
"The engineer insisted on using stays for the scaffolding."
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Stay as a noun (chain-cable):
The transverse piece in a link.
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Stay as a verb:
To brace or support with a stay or stays
Examples:
"stay a mast"
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Stay as a verb (transitive, nautical):
To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays.
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Stay as a verb (transitive, nautical):
To tack; put on the other tack.
Examples:
"to stay ship"
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Stay as a verb (intransitive, nautical):
To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship.
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Stay as an adjective (UK, _, dialectal):
Steep; ascending.
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Stay as an adjective (UK, _, dialectal):
Steeply pitched.
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Stay as an adjective (UK, _, dialectal):
Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer.
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Stay as an adjective (UK, _, dialectal):
Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud.
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Stay as an adverb (UK, _, dialectal):
Steeply.
Compare words:
Compare with synonyms and related words:
- fly vs soar
- fly vs hover
- fly vs wing
- fly vs skim
- fly vs glide
- ascend vs fly
- fly vs rise
- float vs fly
- aviate vs fly
- fly vs walk
- escape vs fly
- flee vs fly
- abscond vs fly
- fly vs remain
- fly vs stay
- dart vs fly
- flit vs fly
- fly vs hurry
- fly vs zoom
- bear vs stay
- prop up vs stay
- stay vs uphold
- curb vs stay
- repress vs stay
- stay vs stifle
- cancel vs stay
- cease vs stay
- discontinue vs stay
- halt vs stay
- stay vs stop
- stay vs terminate
- endure vs stay
- resist vs stay
- await vs stay
- stay vs wait for
- stay vs wait on
- blin vs stay
- brake vs stay
- desist vs stay
- halt vs stay
- stay vs stop
- cease vs stay
- contend vs stay
- break a lance vs stay
- stand firm vs stay
- stay vs take a stand
- abide vs stay
- sojourn vs stay
- stay vs wait
- attend vs stay
- bestand vs stay
- serve vs stay
- continue vs stay
- keep vs stay
- remain vs stay
- backstay vs stay
- forestay vs stay
- mainstay vs stay
- stay vs triatic stay