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fly in the face of

fly in the face of
F f

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [flahy in stressed th ee feys uhv, ov]
    • /flaɪ ɪn stressed ði feɪs ʌv, ɒv/
    • /flaɪ ɪn ðə feɪs əv/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [flahy in stressed th ee feys uhv, ov]
    • /flaɪ ɪn stressed ði feɪs ʌv, ɒv/

Definitions of fly in the face of words

  • verb without object fly in the face of to move through the air using wings. 1
  • verb without object fly in the face of to be carried through the air by the wind or any other force or agency: bits of paper flying about. 1
  • verb without object fly in the face of to float or flutter in the air: flags flying in the breeze. 1
  • verb without object fly in the face of to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft. 1
  • verb without object fly in the face of to move suddenly and quickly; start unexpectedly: He flew from the room. 1
  • verb without object fly in the face of to change rapidly and unexpectedly from one state or position to another: The door flew open. 1
See all 41 definitions of fly in the face of

Information block about the term

Origin of fly in the face of

First appearance:

before 900
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English flīen, Old English flēogan; cognate with Old High German fliogan, German fliegen, Old Norse fljuga

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Fly in the face of

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Fly in the face of

fly in the face of popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

fly in the face of usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for fly in the face of

verb fly in the face of

  • withstand — to stand or hold out against; resist or oppose, especially successfully: to withstand rust; to withstand the invaders; to withstand temptation.
  • defy — If you defy someone or something that is trying to make you behave in a particular way, you refuse to obey them and behave in that way.
  • go through — to move or proceed, especially to or from something: They're going by bus.
  • confront — If you are confronted with a problem, task, or difficulty, you have to deal with it.
  • court — A court is a place where legal matters are decided by a judge and jury or by a magistrate.
All 211 Synonyms of fly in the face of

Antonyms for fly in the face of

verb fly in the face of

  • surrender — to yield (something) to the possession or power of another; deliver up possession of on demand or under duress: to surrender the fort to the enemy; to surrender the stolen goods to the police.
  • refuse — to decline to accept (something offered): to refuse an award.
  • reject — to refuse to have, take, recognize, etc.: to reject the offer of a better job.
  • capitulate — If you capitulate, you stop resisting and do what someone else wants you to do.
  • complain — to make an accusation; bring a formal charge
All 74 Antonyms of fly in the face of

See also

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