A fleet is a group of ships organized to do something together, for example to fight battles or to catch fish.
The damage inflicted upon the British fleet was devastating.
...restaurants supplied by local fishing fleets.
Synonyms: navy, vessels, task force, squadron More Synonyms of fleet
2. countable noun
A fleet of vehicles is a group of them, especially when they all belong to a particular organization or business, or when they are allgoing somewhere together.
With its own fleet of trucks, the company delivers most orders overnight. [+ of]
A fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospital.
More Synonyms of fleet
fleet in British English1
(fliːt)
noun
1.
a number of warships organized as a tactical unit
2.
all the warships of a nation
3.
a number of aircraft, ships, buses, etc, operating together or under the same ownership
Word origin
Old English flēot ship, flowing water, from flēotan to float
fleet in British English2
(fliːt)
adjective
1.
rapid in movement; swift
2. poetic
fleeting; transient
verb
3. (intransitive)
to move rapidly
4. (intransitive) archaic
to fade away smoothly; glide
5. (transitive) nautical
a.
to change the position of (a hawser)
b.
to pass (a messenger or lead) to a hawser from a winch for hauling in
c.
to spread apart (the blocks of a tackle)
6. (intransitive) obsolete
to float or swim
7. (transitive) obsolete
to cause (time) to pass rapidly
Derived forms
fleetly (ˈfleetly)
adverb
fleetness (ˈfleetness)
noun
Word origin
probably Old English flēotan to float, glide rapidly; related to Old High German fliozzan to flow, Latin pluere to rain
fleet in British English3
(fliːt)
noun
mainly Southeast England
a small coastal inlet; creek
Word origin
Old English flēot flowing water; see fleet1
Fleet in British English
(fliːt)
noun
the Fleet
1.
a stream that formerly ran into the Thames between Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street and is now a covered sewer
2. Also called: Fleet Prison
(formerly) a London prison, esp used for holding debtors
fleet in American English1
(flit)
noun
1.
a.
a number of warships under one command, usually in a definite area of operation
b.
the entire naval force of a country; navy
2.
any group of ships, trucks, buses, airplanes, etc. acting together or under one control
Word origin
ME flete < OE fleot < fleotan, to float: see fleet2
fleet in American English2
(flit)
verb intransitive
1. Obsolete
to float; swim
2.
to move swiftly; flit; fly
3. Archaic
to pass away swiftly; disappear
verb transitive
4. Rare
to pass away (time)
5. Nautical
to change the position of (a rope, pulley block, etc.)
adjective
6.
swift; rapid
7. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
evanescent
SIMILAR WORDS: fast
Derived forms
fleetly (ˈfleetly)
adverb
fleetness (ˈfleetness)
noun
Word origin
ME fleten < OE fleotan, akin to Ger fliessen < IE *pleud- < base *pleu-, flow
fleet in American English3
(flit)
noun British, Dialectal
a small inlet; creek
Idioms:
the Fleet
Word origin
ME flete < OE fleot, akin to Du vliet: base as in fleet2
COBUILD Collocations
fleet
entire fleet
Examples of 'fleet' in a sentence
fleet
If we suffered casualties on that scale now it would wipe out the entire fleet.
The Sun (2016)
While we are there, we will be ferried around in a fleet of electric cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She has already bought a fleet of four cars, and is hoping to buy ten more.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
He commands the entire fleet.
The Sun (2016)
When it is complete, he will have more than enough room for the fleet of Mercedes cars that have arrived in recent months.
The Sun (2016)
He lost his entire naval fleet and much of his army.
Christianity Today (2000)
The sales manager in each outlet was given special responsibility for "fleet" business.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
The royal ships could also be hired to provide protection for wool and fishing fleets.
Christina Hardyment Malory: The Life and Times of King Arthur's Chronicler (2005)
The new fleet should come into service this time next year.
The Sun (2008)
On the fleet of rescue ships the atmosphere was one of jubilation.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Britain is the only nation with a fleet of nuclear submarines but no aerial search protection.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The rest will be fleet and business cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is not yet clear how car companies will be able to offset between different vehicles in their fleet.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Two weeks ago it launched a smaller fleet of all-electric vehicles.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
By that time a second fleet had arrived from Scotland.
Frank Welsh THE FOUR NATIONS: A History of the United Kingdom (2002)
Weather doesn't stand still and we must learn to be fleet of foot.
The Sun (2015)
Around the perimeter, fleets of police cars and ambulances formed a sea of flashing lights.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The fleet includes an aircraft carrier battle group, submarines and surveillance planes.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I am the fleet of foot.
various & introduction by Deirdre Chapman A Roomful of Birds - Scottish short stories 1990 (1990)
At the time the fleet rounds the lighthouse, they may have less than one metre over them and are therefore extremely dangerous.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
That could be something as simple as minimising the use of plastic cups in the coffee machine, or procuring biodiesel for the company fleet.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Trade with France remained much more limited because of the British fleet.
Garraty, John Arthur The American Nation: A History of the United States to 1877 (1995)
To the industrialists supplying the steel and to the owners of the shipyards, the battleship fleet plan could be presented as both patriotic and highly profitable.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
The damage was horrible and it took 48 hours before the British fleet was ready to set sail for home.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
They were bought recently by the Metropolitan police as part of a replacement programme of its small fleet for protecting VIPs.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Here he had a grandstand view of the day's action, of the admiral fighting his fleet and the captain fighting his ship.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
HUNDREDS of jobs are on the line this weekend after it emerged that one of the country 's largest fleet providers is on the brink of collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
fleet
British English: fleet /fliːt/ NOUN
A fleet is an organized group of ships.
...local fishing fleets.
American English: fleet
Arabic: أُسْطُول
Brazilian Portuguese: frota
Chinese: 舰队
Croatian: flota
Czech: flotila
Danish: flåde
Dutch: vloot
European Spanish: flota
Finnish: laivasto kalusto
French: flotte
German: Flotte
Greek: στόλος
Italian: flotta
Japanese: 艦隊
Korean: 함대
Norwegian: flåte
Polish: flota
European Portuguese: frota
Romanian: flotă
Russian: флот
Latin American Spanish: flota
Swedish: flotta marin
Thai: กองเรือรบ
Turkish: filo
Ukrainian: флот
Vietnamese: hạm đội
All related terms of 'fleet'
air fleet
a group of military aircraft, usually under one commander
fleet car
A car that is bought as one of a number owned and operated by a particular company, e. g . as company cars
the Fleet
a former small creek in London , now a covered sewer
First Fleet
the fleet of convict ships that arrived at Port Jackson in 1788
fleet rate
a reduced rate quoted by an insurance company to underwrite the risks to a fleet of vehicles , aircraft , etc
entire fleet
A fleet of vehicles is a group of them, especially when they all belong to a particular organization or business, or when they are all going somewhere together.
fishing fleet
the boats used in the fishing industry
fleet admiral
an officer holding the most senior commissioned rank in the US and certain other navies
Fleet Prison
(formerly) a London prison , esp used for holding debtors
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is used to refer to British national newspapers and to the journalists who work for them.
fleet insurance
Fleet insurance is a type of insurance contract that applies to a number of vehicles.
merchant fleet
the total number of civilian ships of a country carrying either passengers or cargo (goods)
Fleet Air Arm
the aviation branch of the Royal Navy
admiral of the fleet
an officer of the highest rank in the Royal Navy , equivalent to field marshal
fleet chief petty officer
a noncommissioned officer in the Royal Navy comparable in rank to a warrant officer in the British Army or Royal Air Force
admiral
An admiral is a senior officer in a navy.
Chinese translation of 'fleet'
fleet
(fliːt)
n(c)
[of ships, lorries, buses]队(隊) (duì)
(noun)
Definition
all the ships of a nation or company
damage inflicted upon the British fleet
Synonyms
navy
He joined the navy at the age of eighteen.
vessels
task force
squadron
warships
flotilla
armada
An armada of allied ships participated in the invasion.
naval force
sea power
argosy
(adjective)
Definition
rapid in movement
He was fleet as a deer.
Synonyms
swift
a swift runner
flying
He made a flying start to the final.
fast
She walked at a fast pace.
quick
Europe has moved a long way at a quick pace.
winged
rapid
the country's rapid economic growth
speedy
We wish Bill a speedy recovery.
nimble
To keep your mind nimble, you must use it.
mercurial
meteoric
her meteoric rise to fame
nimble-footed
Additional synonyms
in the sense of armada
Definition
a large number of ships
An armada of allied ships participated in the invasion.