Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Passing quickly; ephemeral.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Passing rapidly; hastening away; transient; not durable: as, the fleeting hours or moments.
  • Synonyms Transitory, etc. See transient.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Passing swiftly away; not durable; transient; transitory.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Passing quickly.
  • verb Present participle of fleet.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective lasting for a markedly brief time

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English fleten ("to float"), from Old English flēotan ("to float").

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Examples

  • His rivals have criticized him for failing to convene a meeting of the panel, using that fact to highlight what they call fleeting foreign policy experience.

    A Rare Day in the Limelight - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • His rivals have criticized him for failing to convene a meeting of the panel, using that fact to highlight what they call fleeting foreign policy experience.

    A Rare Day in the Limelight - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

  • And I think the older we get, the more we cherish these times together, knowing how few and far between they are, and how fleeting is our time on this earth.

    2010 March « Becca’s Byline 2010

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

  • And I think the older we get, the more we cherish these times together, knowing how few and far between they are, and how fleeting is our time on this earth.

    Family Time « Becca’s Byline 2010

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

  • Just exuberant bliss, he supposed, an expression of fleeting pleasure, not really a binding declaration.

    O: A Presidential Novel Anonymous 2011

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