An act of flight.
"The birds took off into the sky, beginning their flying at dawn."
In plain English: Flying is the act of moving through the air without touching the ground.
"The flying was dangerous, so they had to land immediately."
Usage: Use "flying" as a noun to refer to the specific act or instance of flight, though it is often more natural to use the singular form "flight" in everyday contexts. Avoid using it as a standalone noun unless you are specifically describing an event like "the flying was impressive."
present participle of fly
"The birds are flying south for the winter."
In plain English: Flying means moving through the air without touching the ground.
"The birds are flying south for the winter."
Usage: Use "flying" to describe the ongoing action of moving through the air with wings or an aircraft. It functions as a present participle in continuous tenses or as an adjective modifying nouns like "a flying saucer."
moving swiftly
"fast-flying planes"
"played the difficult passage with flying fingers"
That flies or can fly.
"The hummingbird was flying so fast that it seemed to hover in mid-air."
In plain English: Flying describes something that is so light it seems ready to take off or float away.
"The flying saucer landed in the middle of the field."
Usage: Use "flying" to describe something that has the ability to fly, such as a flying saucer or flying fish. Avoid using it to mean moving rapidly through the air unless you are specifically referring to an object capable of flight.
The word "flying" comes directly from Middle English and Old English forms that meant the same thing as it does today. It entered modern usage simply by adding the suffix "-ing" to the verb "fly.