leaves were moving in the air

[alpacinou]

I want to describe a windy autumn afternoon. Because of wind, leaves are moving about in the air. What verb can I use to describe this movement? Which of these verbs is better?

It was a windy autumn afternoon and dried leaves were bobbing/flying/fleeting in the air.

Is there a better way to express it?

 

[emsr2d2]

Of those three, only "flying" works. "Bobbing" is generally used for something floating on water. "Fleeting" is an adjective, not a verb form.

 

[alpacinou]

Of those three, only "flying" works. "Bobbing" is generally used for something floating on water. "Fleeting" is an adjective, not a verb form.

You are right. I meant "flit".

So is there a better way to express it, you know, in a tad poetic way?

 

[GoesStation]

Unless the wind is really howling, floating works well.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

More:

- blowing
- sailing
- swirling
- tossing
- spinning
- spiraling

Have you found anything interesting in a thesaurus?

 

[alpacinou]

"Bobbing" is generally used for something floating on water.

I found this example in Longman dictionary:

...dandelions bobbing in the breeze...

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/dandelion

Is it wrong?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I found this example in Longman dictionary:

...dandelions bobbing in the breeze...

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/dandelion

Is it wrong?

Dandelions bob when they're still rooted in the ground. They nod and sway, too.

When their little cottony seeds get blown into the air, the seeds float.

Bobbing is bouncing up and down in one place. You want words for leaves traveling through the air unencumbered. Bobbing is what things on the surface of the water do. They bob up and down. A balloon on a string can bob up and down, too.