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One who flies or flees; a runaway; a fugitive. Shak.

The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape or expected evil; hasty departure. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. Matt. xxiv. 20. Fain by flight to save themselves. Shak.

Fleeting; swift; transient. The flighty purpose never is o'ertook, Unless the deed go with it. Shak.

To move with celerity through the air; to fly away with a rapid motion; to dart along; to fleet; as, a bird flits away; a cloud flits along. A shadow flits before me. Tennyson.

A fleet; especially, a

To fleet; to skim. [Obs.] Tusser.

A little fleet, or a fleet of small vessels.

To practice mocking; to behave with contempt; to sneer; to fleer; -- often with at. Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout. Swift.

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. Milton. Whither shall I fly to escape their hands Shak.

to cause to be maggoty; hence, to taint or contaminate, as if with flyblows. Bp. Srillingfleet.

elves. Jer. Taylor. The formality of the vow lies in the promise made to God. Bp. Stillingfleet.

rt; in advance of something else; as, the forward gun in a ship, or the forward ship in a fleet.

Flying, or disposed to fly; fleeing away; lasting but a short time; volatile. Much of its possessions is so hid, so fugacious, and of so uncertain purchase. Jer. Taylor.

Fleeing from pursuit, danger, restraint, etc., escaping, from service, duty etc.; as, a fugitive solder; a fugitive slave; a fugitive debtor. The fugitive Parthians follow. Shak. Can a fugitive daughter enjoy herself while her parents are in tear Richardson A libellous pamphlet of a fugitive physician. Sir H. Wotton.…

The act of bending the knee, particularly in worship. Bp. Stillingfleet.

aches and sneering expressions; to rail; to utter taunting, sarcastic words; to flout; to fleer; to scoff. Fleer and gibe, and laugh and flout. Swift.

An incidental or passing thought or allusion. How fleet is a glance of the mind. Cowper.

called the royal eagle; the young in the second year is the ring-tailed eagle. -- Golden fleece. (a) (Mythol.) The fleece of gold fabled to have been taken from the ram that bore Phryxus through the air to Colchis, and in quest of which Jason undertook the Argonautic expedition. (b) (Her.) An order of knighthood insti…

tion, when the offer of divine forgiveness is made and may be accepted. That day of grace fleets fast away. I. Watts. -- Days of grace (Com.), the days immediately following the day when a bill or note becomes due, which days are allowed to the debtor or payer to make payment in. In Great Britain and the United States,…

Most advanced; most forward; as, the headmost ship in a fleet.