What does flew mean?
Flew is the simple past tense of the verb "fly", describing movement through the air — whether by a bird's wings, an insect, or an aircraft carrying passengers across continents. Beyond literal flight, the word carries rich figurative uses: time "flies", so we say it flew by; tempers flare until someone flew into a rage; and opportunities are said to have flown away when missed. In everyday speech, "flew" also conveys speed and urgency, as when a ball flew past a batter's ear or news flew around the office. The word pairs with memorable idioms such as "flew the coop" (escaped) and "flew off the handle" (lost one's temper). A companion term worth knowing is "flown", the past participle used after auxiliary verbs. Simple yet versatile, "flew" bridges the physical act of aviation and our most vivid metaphors for speed, escape, and elapsing time.
verbFlew is the past tense of the verb "fly": to move through the air, especially with wings, or to travel by aircraft.
- Past tense of "fly": to move through the air using wings.
- To have travelled by aircraft.
- To have moved or passed very quickly (e.g. time flew, a ball flew past).
- To have fled suddenly or hurried away.
"The heron flew low across the marsh at dawn."
"We flew from London to New York in just over seven hours."
"The years simply flew by once she started university."
Before aircraft existed, "flew" belonged almost entirely to birds, angels, and arrows — then humans made it the most ordinary word in every airport on Earth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flew
Flew descends from the Old English strong verb "flēogan", which traced back through Proto-Germanic roots shared with other Germanic languages — its closest living relatives include German "fliegen" and Dutch "vliegen". As a strong verb, its past tense was formed by changing the vowel rather than adding an ending, which is why "flew" differs from its infinitive only in sound. The form has remained remarkably stable for over a thousand years, surviving intact from Anglo-Saxon times into modern English.
Related word forms
How flew is actually used
Flew exists only as a verb form — it is never a noun or adjective. Note that the past participle of "fly" is "flown", not "flew": "she had flown home", not "she had flew home", a frequent error in informal writing.
Easily confused with flew
"Flu" is short for influenza, an illness, while "flew" is the past tense of the verb "fly" — they sound nearly identical but are entirely unrelated.
"Fled" is the past tense of "flee" (to run away), whereas "flew" is the past tense of "fly" (to travel through the air).