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to outfly

to outfly

1 6.8
To fly farther or faster than another flying thing
  • verb
  • /ˌaʊtˈflaɪ/
translation icon : superar en vuelo
  • In a head-to-head competition, the new drone can outfly the older models effortlessly.
  • outfly any bird

Examples

  • During the race, the champion athlete managed to outfly all his competitors.

  • I could outfly you in a school bus.

  • We're gonna have to outfly 'em.

  • Give him wings and he would outfly any bird in the woods.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Mad Dog can outfly a three-headed lizard any day of the week.

  • Maybe Eaccae's playing aerial hide and seek, she thought, hoping that the uther was done outflying her.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • About as close as Muir comes to an idealization in this essay is where he stated, "Give him wings and he would outfly any bird in the woods."

    Academic text (1994)
  • "He knew the Y-wings would have little trouble outflying the dupes—pilot slang for the double-hulled bombers.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The eagle can outfly any other bird in the sky.

Synonyms

to outdo
vsto outfly
22 3.8

Be better than someone at something

limits the surpassing to flying or speed rather than broad achievement
to outpace
vsto outfly
20 4.9

To move, grow, or develop faster than another

focuses on flying farther or faster as the manner of surpassing
to outshine
vsto outfly
15 4.8

Do better and get more attention than others

expresses superiority by actual flight distance or speed rather than impression
to outmatch
vsto outfly
8 6.4

Do better than someone in skill or performance

applies surpassing to flight or faster movement rather than general ability
to outclass
vsto outfly
8 4.6

To be much better than someone or something

denotes surpassing through flying or speed, not only by clear superiority
to outstrip
vsto outfly
7 6.8

To become faster, better, or larger than another

describes surpassing through flight speed or distance specifically
to outdistance
vsto outfly
2 6.7

Get much farther ahead of other people in a race or competition

flies specifically farther or faster than others rather than only leading distance
to outrace
vsto outfly
1 5.9

To get ahead of others in progress or achievement

is about overtaking in flying or performance rather than only development
to outgo
vsto outfly
8.1

To be better than another person or thing

shows that superiority by flying farther or faster rather than general performance
to outstand
vsto outfly
7.6

To be better than others in skill or quality

narrows that superiority to overtaking others in flight or performance speed
to outvie
vsto outfly
  • Archaic
9.9

To try to be better than someone in a contest or task

focuses on beating others by flying farther or moving faster in contests

Antonyms

898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

lag
46 4.1

A period of time when something happens later than expected

How Much

to eclipse
31 6.0
to outperform
30 4.8
to outfly
1 6.8
to outdo
22 3.8
to beat
1.4

Surface Forms

outfly infinitive
outflying present participle
outflies third person singular
outflew past
outflown past participle

Morphology

outfly = fly (transparent) = out + fly

Meaning 'surpass in flying' is directly built from the productive comparative/prefixal sense of 'out-' (as in 'outrun', 'outperform') plus 'fly'.

Etymology

Outfly comes from the parts out- ('more than' or 'beyond') and fly ('to move in the air'), much like outrun or outdo. So, to outfly someone is to fly faster or farther than them, to beat them in flight.