flown

The flag flown proudly from the top of the pole.

Definition

1. Verb (past participle of fly):

   • To have moved through the air: "flown" is the past participle of the verb "fly," meaning to have traveled through the air using wings, an aircraft, or other means.
   • To have moved swiftly: It can also mean to have moved or passed quickly, as in time or an object.
   • To have fled: In a historical or literary sense, it can mean to have escaped or run away.

2. Adjective (archaic):

   • Swollen or inflated: In older usage, "flown" describes something that is swollen, puffed out, or filled with air or emotion.

     • Example: "flown with insolence" — puffed up with arrogance or boldness.

Usage Examples

• Verb (past participle of fly):

  • The birds have flown south for the winter. (They have migrated through the air.)
  • She has flown on an airplane many times. (She has traveled by air.)
  • Time has flown by so quickly this year. (Time has passed swiftly.)

• Adjective (archaic):

  • His heart was flown with pride after the victory. (His heart was swollen with pride.)
  • The sails were flown with the wind, billowing outward. (The sails were inflated by the wind.)

Advanced Usage

• "flown the coop": an idiomatic expression meaning to have escaped or left a place, often suddenly.

  • The prisoner has flown the coop and is on the run. (He has escaped from confinement.)

• "flown high": used to describe someone who has achieved great success or status.

  • She has flown high in her career, becoming a top executive. (She has risen to a high position.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fly (verb): the base form; to move through the air.

  • I can fly a kite. (I can make it move through the air.)

• Flew (verb, past tense): the simple past of "fly."

  • He flew to Paris yesterday. (He traveled by air.)

• Flight (noun): the act or instance of flying.

  • The flight was delayed due to weather. (The journey by air was delayed.)

• Flown (verb, past participle, alternative form): sometimes used as a past participle in dialects or archaic contexts.

Synonyms

• Aired (for ): to have traveled by air.
• Soared: to have risen or moved through the air gracefully.
• Escaped: to have fled (for the sense of fleeing).
• Swollen (for the adjective): puffed up or inflated.

Phrasal Verbs

• Fly away: to depart by flying.

  • The butterfly has flown away into the garden. (It has moved off through the air.)

• Fly by: to pass quickly.

  • The years have flown by since we last met. (Time has passed rapidly.)

• Fly over: to travel above something.

  • The plane has flown over the mountains. (It has passed above the mountains.)

Related Idioms

• "fly in the face of": to challenge or oppose something directly.

  • His actions have flown in the face of tradition. (They have directly contradicted tradition.)

• "fly off the handle": to lose one's temper suddenly.

  • She has flown off the handle at the slightest criticism. (She has become angry quickly.)

• "fly by the seat of one's pants": to act without a plan or preparation.

  • He has flown by the seat of his pants through the entire project. (He has improvised without planning.)