fly by
Quick overhead swoop
Fly by describes passing swiftly, often without stopping.
A bird flies by a window; years fly by as we age.
A flyby is a close approach without landing—a spacecraft's flyby of Jupiter, or a military aircraft's ceremonial pass over a stadium.
To do something on the fly is to improvise without preparation.
To fly by the seat of your pants is to proceed by instinct rather than plan.
Depart without detection
- vanishCease to be visible
- fadeLose intensity gradually
- disappearPass from visibility
- escapeFlight from captivity
elapse · evaporate · melt away · drift · breeze past · zip past
Rapid movement or magnification
Not noticed or considered
- missedFailed to reach
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- undetectedNot discovered yet
- unseenNot perceived visually
slip away
Depart without detection
escape · elapse · evaporate · melt away · drift · breeze past · zip past
zoom
Rapid movement or magnification
blur · flash · rush · zip · dart · swoop · race · hurtle · jet · sprint
overlooked
Not noticed or considered
- missedFailed to reach
- ignoredPurposely not noticed
- undetectedNot discovered yet
unseen · beneath notice · pass unnoticed · breeze through · get past
- go pastpass, cross, overtake, go beyond, breeze past
- travel idiomshit the road, in the same boat, miss the boat, end of the road, crossroads
- flightflight, aviation, aircraft, airplane, airplanes
fly bydrag on
Continue wearyingly long
drag · crawl · stretch out · linger · move slowly
fly bylinger
Stay beyond necessity
dwell on · savor · take one's time · stop and smell the roses · be present