fleet

¹

[fleet]

noun

1. the largest organized unit of naval ships grouped for tactical or other purposes.

2. the largest organization of warships under the command of a single officer.

3. a number of naval vessels or vessels carrying armed crew members.

4. a large group of ships, airplanes, trucks, etc., operated by a single company or under the same ownership.

   He owns a fleet of cabs.

5. a large group of airplanes, automobiles, etc., moving or operating together.

fleet

²

[fleet]

adjective

fleeter, fleetest 

1. swift; rapid.

   to be fleet of foot;

   a fleet horse.

verb (used without object)

1. to move swiftly; fly.

2. Nautical.,  to change position; shift.

3. Archaic.

   1. to glide along like a stream.

   2. to fade; vanish.

4. Obsolete.,  to float; drift; swim.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause (time) to pass lightly or swiftly.

   Synonyms: beguile, hasten, speed

2. Nautical.

   1. to move or change the position of.

   2. to separate the blocks of (a tackle).

   3. to lay (a rope) along a deck.

fleet

³

[fleet]

noun

British Dialect.

1. an arm of the sea; inlet.

2. a creek; stream; watercourse.

3. the Fleet, a former prison in London, long used for debtors.

fleet

¹

/ fliːt /

adjective

1. rapid in movement; swift

2. poetic,  fleeting; transient

verb

1. (intr) to move rapidly

2. archaic,  (intr) to fade away smoothly; glide

3. (tr) nautical

   1. to change the position of (a hawser)

   2. to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in

   3. to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)

4. obsolete,  (intr) to float or swim

5. obsolete,  (tr) to cause (time) to pass rapidly

fleet

²

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a number of warships organized as a tactical unit

2. all the warships of a nation

3. a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership

Fleet

³

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer

2. Also called: Fleet Prison. (formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors

fleet

⁴

/ fliːt /

noun

1. a small coastal inlet; creek

Other Word Forms

• fleetness noun
• fleetly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English flete, fleot(e), Old English flēot “bay, estuary; boat,” derivative of flēotan float ( def. ); fleet ²

Origin of fleet²

First recorded in 1520–30; probably from or akin to Old Norse fljótr “quick, speedy”

Origin of fleet³

First recorded before 900; Middle English flete, Old English flēot “flowing water”; cognate with German Fliess “brook”; fleet ³ def. 3 is so called after the Fleet a stream, later covered and used as a sewer, near which the prison was located; fleet ¹ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleet¹

probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain

Origin of fleet²

Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to _float

Origin of fleet³

Old English flēot flowing water; see _fleet ¹

Example Sentences

Babcock is selling the Type 31 as a versatile ship to work across different fleets.

From BBC

The firm has three in a fleet of 70 otherwise diesel lorries.

From BBC

The US Navy is unrivalled in the world with the largest fleet of aircraft carriers and carrier strike groups - China still lags behind on that count.

From BBC

“Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

The company paid for his fleet of luxury cars, including a Lamborghini, and the rent for several flats in prime central London neighbourhoods such as Mayfair.

From BBC

Related Words

• armada 
• flotilla 
• navy 
• squadron