1 B1 neutral
Of an object, to become detached and move rapidly through the air.
"The cap flew off the bottle and hit the ceiling."
fly off
B1 neutral intransitive
To detach and move through the air suddenly; to depart quickly; or to lose one's temper.
In plain English
Come off something and go flying through the air; or leave somewhere quickly.
What does "fly off" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To leave a place hurriedly or abruptly.
"She flew off to catch her train before anyone could ask her more questions."
3 B2 idiomatic informal
In the phrase 'fly off the handle,' to suddenly lose one's temper.
"He flew off the handle when he discovered the report had not been submitted."
4 B2 idiomatic neutral
In the phrase 'fly off the shelves,' to sell very quickly and in large quantities.
"Her debut novel flew off the shelves in the first week after publication."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To leave a surface and travel through the air — fairly transparent.
Actually means
Come off something and go flying through the air; or leave somewhere quickly.
Usage tip
Has several distinct senses: physical detachment (a lid flying off), rapid departure (she flew off to a meeting), and in the phrase 'fly off the handle,' losing one's temper. The expression 'fly off the shelves' means products are selling very quickly. Context distinguishes these senses clearly.
Words that pair with "fly off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
handle shelves lid cap hat roof course
How to conjugate "fly off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
fly off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
flies off
he/she/it
Past simple
flew off
yesterday
Past participle
flown off
have + pp
-ing form
flying off
continuous
Hear "fly off" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "fly off" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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