Fly-by-night

Pronunciation varies by accent · noun

Meaning

A creature which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler..

Definitions by Sense

1. A creature which flies at night; a nocturnal flier or traveler.
2. (often attributive) One who departs or flees at night in order to avoid creditors, law enforcement etc.
3. (idiomatic, derogatory) A person or business that appears and/or disappears rapidly, appearing untrustworthy, or giving an impression of transience.
4. (idiomatic, derogatory) A traveling businessman or tradesman.

Example Sentences

Do not give your credit card number to that fly-by-night operation.

The automobile industry rose almost overnight. Orders poured into the offices of companies already organized; new companies were formed by dozens, capitalized at millions of dollars. Fly-by-night concerns sprang up like mushrooms, flooded the country with stock-selling schemes, established factories where parts of motor cars, bought elsewhere, were assembled.

True, it was a good advertisement at Boosters' Club lunches, and all the varieties of Annual Banquets to which Good Fellows were invited, to speak sonorously of […] a thing called Ethics, whose nature was confusing but if you had it you were a High-class Realtor and if you hadn't you were a shyster, a piker, and a fly-by-night.

Second, it will ensure that when fly-by-night providers go bankrupt, Medicare is at the top of the list of debts to be repaid. And finally, it will bring down costs by allowing Medicare to purchase goods and services at a competitive price.

Synonyms for fly-by-night

Antonyms for fly-by-night

Related Words

Word Forms

• fly-by-nights

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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