on the fly vs on-the-fly

Both "on the fly" and "on-the-fly" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "On the fly" is used to describe doing something quickly or spontaneously, while "on-the-fly" is used in computing jargon to refer to tasks that are performed while a system is running.

Last updated: March 23, 2024 • 1160 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"on the fly"

This phrase is used to describe doing something quickly or spontaneously, without preparation.

Examples:

He had to come up with a solution on the fly during the meeting.
She's great at improvising on the fly.

Show examples from the web [+]

Fire one rare steak on the fly.
Well, I switched on the fly.
It's just a matter of facing the consequences of immediate failure or the risks of trying to save the operation on the fly.
'Cause making those decisions on the fly has been less than successful.
We'll filter the information to Jack Dawkins on the fly.
You don't think it was invented by a handful of Rednecks on the fly in Iraq.
We keep our distance, we plan on the fly.
Cosi 'on the fly, I would say that two symptoms compatible...
All right, I hit this 250 yards on the fly, you have to adhere to the no-scare moratorium.
Well, they'll need someone at the controls to process the math and adapt on the fly.
It's my own fault, taking this case on the fly.
Systems like the ones that we were creating on the fly could exist ahead of time.
That's why you always have to be ready to adjust tactics on the fly.
- Not yet. Lassie, I need a flourless chocolate cake, on the fly.
Wait, you just built all the indexes on the fly?
You're getting the guys to learn songs on the fly, you're playing shows that should be canceled.
The mark of a good operative is being able to adjust to changing loosing a teammate on the fly.
You may even select a different printer subsystem, on the fly, from the & kprinter; dialog box.
It's small, can we edit it on the fly?
You can make one of these brushes just on the fly.

Alternatives:

spontaneously
quickly
without preparation
improvising

This phrase is correct and commonly used in computing jargon.

"on-the-fly"

This phrase is used in computing to refer to tasks that are performed while a system is running, without stopping or interrupting the system.

Examples:

The software allows for on-the-fly updates without needing to restart the system.
The system can process data on-the-fly as it comes in.

Show examples from the web [+]

K3b does not support writing on-the-fly with growisofs %1.
Unable to write on-the-fly with these audio sources.
Create scores on-the-fly by recording from mic
K3b will not be able to copy DVDs on-the-fly or write a DVD+RW in multiple sessions using a growisofs version older than 5.12.
On-the-fly writing with cdrecord < 2.01a13 not supported.
K3b is not able to normalize audio tracks when burning on-the-fly. The external program used for this task only supports normalizing a set of audio files.
You may not be able to find sentences that have been added recently because they have not been indexed yet. Indexation of sentences is not yet executed on-the-fly, only every week.
So this allows you on-the-fly molecular assembly.

Alternatives:

real-time
dynamic
while running
without interruption

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on the fly vs on-the-fly

"on the fly"

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