fly under the radar

verb

To go unnoticed, especially for a long period of time.

Similar
slip under the radar
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Meanings

verbfly under the radar (third-person singular simple present flies under the radar, present participle flying under the radar, simple past flew under the radar, past participle flown under the radar)

present singular third person flies under the radar · participle present flying under the radar · past flew under the radar · participle past flown under the radar

  1. idiomaticTo go unnoticed, especially for a long period of time.

    Synonyms: slip under the radar

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo go unnoticed, especially for a long period of time.

Similar
slip under the radar
Also see
slip under the radar

Origin

From military contexts, where aircraft would fly low to avoid being detected by radar.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish piilotella
  • piilotellato go unnoticed
Swedish gå under radarn, flyga under radarn
  • gå under radarnto go unnoticed
  • flyga under radarnto go unnoticed
Cite this entry
APA

fly under the radar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20under%20the%20radar

MLA

“fly under the radar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20under%20the%20radar. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fly under the radar,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fly%20under%20the%20radar.

Source: fly under the radar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.