flown
flown
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for flown is /floʊn/.
Syllable Sound Breakdown
"Flown" is a single-syllable word with the following sounds:
fl - The initial consonant blend, pronounced /fl/.
ow - The vowel sound, a diphthong pronounced /oʊ/ like the 'o' in "go".
n - The final consonant sound, pronounced /n/.
Word Form Variations
"Flown" is the past participle of the irregular verb to fly. The primary forms of this verb are:
Infinitive/Present: fly
Third-Person Singular Present: flies
Past Tense: flew
Present Participle: flying
Past Participle: flown
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb (Past Participle)
Having moved through the air using wings or mechanical power.
Synonyms: soared, glided, winged
Antonyms: landed, grounded, fallen
Having traveled in an aircraft.
Synonyms: jetted, traveled by air
Antonyms: driven, sailed, walked
Having passed or elapsed very quickly.
Synonyms: sped, rushed, vanished
Antonyms: lingered, crawled, dragged
Adjective
Describing something that has been transported by aircraft, often used for perishable goods.
Synonyms: air-freighted, airborne
Antonyms: ground-shipped, sea-freighted
Examples of Use
📚 Books and Literature
As a past participle for flight: "He had flown in the Great War and was an ace." (Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls)
Describing rapid movement: "He remembered the days of his boyhood and how they had flown away." (James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
In fantasy settings: "Eagles are not kindly birds...but the lord of the eagles of the Misty Mountains had a proud and noble heart...so he commanded his eagles to fly and gather news...and they had flown far and wide." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit)
📰 News and Online Publications
In aviation and military reporting: "The B-21 Raider stealth bomber has officially flown for the first time, marking a critical step forward for the new backbone of the U.S. Air Force’s long-range strike fleet." (The War Zone, November 2023)
In travel journalism: "I’ve flown across the Pacific more times than I can count, and the jet lag never truly gets easier."
Describing transported goods: "The restaurant’s menu highlights its fresh oysters, flown in daily from the coast."
🎬 Entertainment and Media
In film dialogue: In the movie Up (2009), the character Russell exclaims, "A floating house! Can you believe it? He’s flown his own house away!"
In television documentary narration: "This fledgling eagle, having flown from the nest for the very first time, now faces the immense challenge of finding its own territory."
In song lyrics: "I have flown on the wings of magic, with my queen and her stolen seed." (Lyrics from "The Wizard" by Uriah Heep)
🗣️ Public Discourse and Common Phrases
To describe the rapid passage of time: "It feels like the summer has just flown by, and now it's already time for school to start." ⏳
In common idioms: The phrase "the birds have flown the coop" is used to indicate that people have left a place, especially secretively or suddenly.
In casual conversation: "Have you ever flown on one of those huge double-decker airplanes?" ✈️
10 Famous Quotes Using Flown
"The winged Nazgûl have flown west over the river." (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings)
"The little bird has flown." (Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House)
"...from this earth, this grave, this dust, my God, my God has flown my spirit." (William Shakespeare, King John)
"The arrow has not yet flown from the bow that will pierce me." (Alfred Tennyson, The Cup)
"I have flown a great deal, and I have had some interesting experiences." (Amelia Earhart)
"I have flown in just about everything, with all kinds of pilots in all parts of the world." (Morgan Freeman)
"I've jumped out of planes, I've flown in military jets." (John Travolta)
By the time they arrived, the cage was empty; the bird had flown.
The best years of our youth had flown away before we even knew to cherish them.
Act now, for the opportunity you see today will have flown by tomorrow.
Etymology
The word flown is the past participle of the verb to fly. To understand its origin, we have to look at the history of "fly."
The story begins with the Old English verb flēogan (pronounced roughly "fleh-o-gan"), which meant "to soar or move through the air." This word was a staple of the language over a thousand years ago.
Like many English verbs, flēogan was an "irregular" or "strong" verb, meaning it changed its internal vowel sound to show a change in tense. Its past participle form was geflogen. Over time, as Old English evolved into Middle English:
The ge- prefix at the beginning was dropped.
The vowel sounds shifted.
Geflogen eventually smoothed out to become the word we know today: flown.
This ancient word comes from an even older Proto-Germanic root, *fleuganan, which is the ancestor of similar words in other languages like German (fliegen) and Dutch (vliegen).
Interestingly, linguists have traced it all the way back to a Proto-Indo-European root, *pleu-, which meant "to flow" or "to float." This suggests that our most ancient ancestors saw flying not as a separate action, but as a form of "flowing" through the air, much like a boat flows through water. 🌊
So, from its first known use in Old English manuscripts written before the 10th century, the word has consistently meant to travel through the air.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Flown
Flown the coop: This is the most common idiom. It means to have escaped or left a place, especially suddenly or secretively.
Flown the nest: Similar to the above, this specifically refers to young people who have grown up and moved out of their parents' home.
Time has flown: A very common expression used when a period of time has seemed to pass very quickly. ⏳
Flown under the radar: To have gone unnoticed or avoided attracting attention while doing something.
Flown in the face of (something): To have openly defied or acted against a rule, convention, or warning.
Flown too close to the sun: An allusion to the myth of Icarus, meaning to have suffered a downfall due to excessive ambition or hubris.
The word has flown: A phrase indicating that news or a secret has spread quickly among people.
The moment has flown: Signifies that a specific opportunity has passed and is no longer available.
Sparks have flown: Used to describe a situation where there has been a passionate and exciting interaction, either romantic or argumentative.
The flag has flown: Can be used to mean that a clear stance has been taken or a commitment has been made publicly. 🚩
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of flown from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
