fleet

1 of 3

noun

1
: a number of warships under a single command
specifically : an organization of ships and aircraft under the command of a flag officer
2
: group sense 2a
especially : a group (as of ships, planes, or trucks) operated under unified control

fleet

2 of 3

adjective

1
: swift in motion : nimble
2
fleetly adverb
fleetness noun

fleet

3 of 3

verb

fleeted; fleeting; fleets

intransitive verb

1
a
: to fade away : vanish
b
archaic : flow
2
[fleet entry 2] : to fly swiftly
clouds fleeting across the sky
3
obsolete : drift

transitive verb

: to cause (time) to pass usually quickly or imperceptibly
many young gentlemen … fleet the time carelessly William Shakespeare
Choose the Right Synonym for fleet

fast, rapid, swift, fleet, quick, speedy, hasty, expeditious mean moving, proceeding, or acting with celerity.

fast and rapid are very close in meaning, but fast applies particularly to the thing that moves

fast horses

and rapid to the movement itself.

rapid current

swift suggests great rapidity coupled with ease of movement.

returned the ball with one swift stroke

fleet adds the implication of lightness and nimbleness.

fleet runners

quick suggests promptness and the taking of little time.

a quick wit

speedy implies quickness of successful accomplishment

speedy delivery of mail

and may also suggest unusual velocity.

hasty suggests hurry and precipitousness and often connotes carelessness.

a hasty inspection

expeditious suggests efficiency together with rapidity of accomplishment.

the expeditious handling of an order

Example Sentences

Noun He was the commander of the Pacific fleet. The company has a large fleet of delivery trucks. Adjective a jewel thief said to be light of heart and fleet of foot
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Large fleet operators like PepsiCo Inc., Walmart Inc., Meijer Inc. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. were among the companies that placed non-binding reservations for the Semi five years ago. Dana Hull, Fortune, 2 Dec. 2022 If the price cap is set too low, the Kremlin may tap the world’s dark fleet to get its oil to market independently, without the need for Western insurance. Carol Ryan, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2022 In early 2021, the company purchased its first 11 Boeing 767 jets from Delta and WestJet, a fleet its air carriers would operate, capitalizing on steep discounts offered by beleaguered passenger airlines. Caitlin Harrington, WIRED, 1 Dec. 2022 The Lockheed was just one aircraft in Presley’s private fleet. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2022 Arbaugh, who went from a Carroll County store clerk to heading the old PHH auto fleet leasing firm, died of respiratory illness Nov. 18 at his Lutherville home. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 1 Dec. 2022 Of course, those companies, which sell the most pickups in America, also compete heavily in the commercial fleet market. Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, 30 Nov. 2022 Cruise started operating a driverless taxi fleet in San Francisco this year and looks to expand the business to Austin, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, before year-end. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 30 Nov. 2022 Stretching from the Broward Center in downtown Fort Lauderdale north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, the 12-mile route will feature by far South Florida’s biggest fleet of yachts and boats decked out with holiday decorations. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2022
Adjective
Some diehard Romantics might object that Hough is too fleet in his approach. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2022 Building in predictive alerts to provide real time coaching is what is needed, and companies like Nauto are innovating rapidly in fleet predictive intelligence looking ahead vs analyzing statistics alone. Cindy Gordon, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2021 Additionally, Ultium Charge 360 will help support home charging and provide non-fleet drivers access to more than 60,000 public places to charge. Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 16 July 2021 During the orchestral prelude, Daniel Barenboim drew a crisp, clean and fleet performance from the players. New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020 Burns thinks his company can compete for a share of the electric vehicle market by being quicker to adjust to technology and by targeting commercial, fleet customers who want more than what conventional trucks can supply. BostonGlobe.com, 8 Nov. 2019 Burns thinks his company can compete for a share of the electric vehicle market by being quicker to adjust to new technology and by targeting commercial, fleet customers who want more than what conventional trucks can supply. Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2019 Receiver Jaylen Erwin on Sunday didn’t list Allen among the fleetest players on the team. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2019 The airline will be accepting the delivery of three more aircraft this year, bringing its fleet total to 10 Boeing 737-NG 800s by the end of 2019. San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2019
Verb
Particularly important to fleet operators will be the Energy Services Cloud that will include charging management solutions. Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2022 Blink and others also offer applications to help fleet managers monitor charging levels. PCMAG, 26 Oct. 2022 Now, the fast and fleet senior forward is the offensive catalyst, scoring nine goals and contributing three assists so far as a senior for the Saints (7-2). Patrick Z. Mcgavin, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022 The 1,230 new tanks will easily make Poland’s tank fleet the largest and most modern in European NATO. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 31 Aug. 2022 Crystal Endeavor will join the Silversea Cruises fleet this month, Royal Caribbean said in a news release Monday. Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 18 July 2022 Jones was promoted to fleet manager, in charge of keeping the factory’s forklifts and carts on schedule, maintained and repaired. Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2022 And with every purchase, the global industrial base deepens, offering the U.S. F-35 fleet an extra measure of resiliency. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2022 The stations also have to be accessible to the general public, or to fleet operators from more than one company. Timothy Puko, WSJ, 10 Feb. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fleet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English flete, from Old English flēot ship, from flēotan

Adjective

probably from fleet entry 3

Verb

Middle English fleten, from Old English flēotan; akin to Old High German fliozzan to float, Old English flōwan to flow

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of fleet was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fleet

Cite this Entry

“Fleet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fleet. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

Kids Definition

fleet

1 of 2 noun
1
: a group of warships under one command
2
: a group of ships or vehicles that move together or are under one management
a fleet of taxis
a fishing fleet

fleet

2 of 2 adjective
: very swift
fleet of foot
fleetly adverb
fleetness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fleet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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