on the fly en · ADV
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(not-comparable, of the ball) While in the air, without having touched the ground.
Jones caught the ball on the fly.
-
(idiomatic, not-comparable) Spontaneously or extemporaneously; done as one goes, or during another activity.
The only process that yields problem-solving on the fly is experiential.
2026 April 9, Charles Hugh Smith, Automating Our Dependence Will Cripple Us:The software program has a table of values for some results, but calculates others on the fly.
-
(not-comparable, slang) On the move.
The Owl is flying high, frightening to the eye. The Rattler is nearby, Cool is on the fly. Danger is his business.
1966, “Cool McCool (theme song)”, Bernie Green (music) (Cool McCool (television series)), performed by Bob McFadden:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| on-the-fly | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Hypernyms
Relateds
fly by the seat of one's pants
Synonyms
on the wing · on the spot · in flight · in flight · on the hoof
Translations (38)
de spontan (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · da i farten (while in the air) · es a vuelo (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · fi lennosta (while in the air) · de auf die Schnelle (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · de fliegend (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · es al vuelo (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · ca al vol (while in the air) · fr à la volée (while in the air) · pt de improviso (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · tr uçarken (while in the air) · es sobre la marcha (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pt sem sobressaltos (while in the air) · da i skyndingen (while in the air) · tr anında (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pl w locie (while in the air) · de unvorbereitet (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · sv i flykten (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pt no decorrer do processo (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · de ohne Vorbereitung (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · es al vuelo (while in the air) · pt durante o processo (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · sv på lyra (while in the air) · es a bote pronto (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · de in Eile (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pt extemporaneamente (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pl w locie (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · fr à la volée (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · fr sur le fly (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · tr hazırlıksız (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · fi lennosta (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · de improvisiert (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · pt no momento (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · sv i flykten (while in the air) · pt em tempo real (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · es a vuelapluma (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · ru на лету́ (spontaneously or extemporaneously) · ru на лету́ (while in the air)