flier

Everyday

1. A flier is a person or thing that flies, such as a pilot, a bird or a passenger on planes. tree →
2. A flier is also a sheet of paper advertising something, handed out or put through letterboxes; this is more often spelled flyer. tree →
3. (informal) A fast runner or a very quick start, as in «get off to a flier». tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life fliers advertise school fairs, pizza shops and lost pets. In stories about planes it means pilot or traveller. Phrases: «frequent flier», «hand out fliers», «a high flier» (someone very successful), «get off to a flier».

Examples

• We handed out fliers for the school fair. tree →
• A flier for a new pizza place came through the door. tree →
• My dad is a frequent flier because he travels for work. tree →
• The early fliers built planes out of wood and cloth. tree →
• Swifts are amazing fliers that hardly ever land. tree →
• She is a high flier and got top marks. tree →
• Our team got off to a flier and scored in the first minute. tree →
• We made a flier about the missing cat. tree →

Note

Both «flier» and «flyer» are correct; «flyer» is more common for the paper and in the UK. Plural fliers or flyers. A «high flier» is a person who succeeds, not a bird.