Meaning & use
fleeting moments
Last updated
Meanings
phraseplural
Short periods of time that pass very quickly and are soon gone.
Grammar: Plural noun phrase; use a plural verb and plural determiners: these fleeting moments are gone.
Patterns
- fleeting moments of something
- enjoy/capture fleeting moments
- a few fleeting moments
We had only a few fleeting moments together before the train left.
She tries to enjoy the fleeting moments of peace between meetings.
Photographs help us hold on to fleeting moments that would otherwise be forgotten.
phraseplural
Brief occasions when a particular feeling or quality appears and then disappears.
Grammar: Often followed by of + a noun naming the feeling, as in fleeting moments of doubt.
Patterns
- fleeting moments of happiness/doubt/joy
There were fleeting moments of doubt, but she never gave up.
His speech had fleeting moments of humor that made everyone smile.
Common combinations
- a few fleeting moments
- We shared a few fleeting moments of quiet before the guests arrived.
- fleeting moment of happiness
- The birth of her son gave her a fleeting moment of pure happiness.
- capture a fleeting moment
- The artist tried to capture a fleeting moment of sunlight on the water.
- enjoy the fleeting moment
- Stop worrying and enjoy the fleeting moment while it lasts.
- fleeting moment in time
- It was just a fleeting moment in time, but I remember it clearly.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brief moments
- Neutral and simply means short moments; it does not emphasize how fast they slip away as fleeting does.
- passing moments
- Very close in meaning, but often used for moments that are unimportant as well as short.
- transient moments
- More formal and technical, used in writing about things that do not last.
Opposites
Word family
- fleeting adjective
- Lasting only a very short time, as in a fleeting visit.
- fleetingly adverb
- For a very short time, as in She thought of him fleetingly.
Commonly confused: fleeting moments or fleeing?
fleeting moments vs fleeing
Fleeing means running away from danger; fleeting means passing quickly. They sound similar but have completely different meanings.
Practice
Which sentence uses "fleeting moments" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Fleeting moments" is a plural noun phrase, so it fits as the object of "treasured" in option C. Option An is wrong because a plural phrase needs "were," not "was." Options B and D use the phrase as if it were a verb, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fleeting moments”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.