flight

1 of 3

noun (1)

plural flights
often attributive
1
a
: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings
the flight of a bee
b
: the ability to fly
flight is natural to birds
2
a
: a passing through the air or through space outside the earth's atmosphere
flight of an arrow
the flight of a rocket to the moon
b
: the distance covered in such a flight
c
: swift movement
3
a
: a trip made by or in an airplane or spacecraft
a transatlantic flight
b(1)
: a scheduled airplane trip
Our flight is at noon.
(2)
: the airplane that is making a trip
They boarded flight 109.
4
a
: a group of similar beings or objects flying through the air together
a flight of geese
b
: a number of competitors (as in a sport) grouped together on the basis of demonstrated skill or ability or for purposes of elimination contests prior to a final test
At a meet, shot putters and discus throwers are often separated into flights.Kristin Wolden Nitz
c
: a selection of alcoholic drinks (such as wines, beers, or whiskeys) for tasting as a group
Most of the 20 people attending the tasting were German wine collectors and they seemed almost always to prefer the most powerful wine in each flight.James Suckling
The tour meets in the White Labs tasting room, where you will have to ignore the siren call of the beer flights and follow your guide to the actual labs.Karla Peterson
5
: a brilliant, imaginative, or unrestrained exercise or display
a flight of fancy
6
a
: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another
Her apartment is four flights up.
b
: a series (as of terraces or conveyors) resembling a flight of stairs
7
: a unit of the U.S. Air Force below a squadron
flightless adjective

flight

2 of 3

verb

flighted; flighting; flights

intransitive verb

: to rise, settle, or fly in a flock
geese flighting on the marsh

flight

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an act or instance of running away

Examples of flight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The flight didn’t continue to its destination that evening and Frontier Airlines had to find overnight accommodations for its passengers. Quinlan Bentley, The Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2024 During the Starship's coast toward entry, flight controllers planned to test of payload door that will be used on future flights to launch Starlink satellites. William Harwood, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 Most private astronauts will be safely tucked inside their craft for the duration of their flight. Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 14 Mar. 2024 In tonight's premiere episode, the first since the series moved from Fox to ABC, the station 118 firefighters are tasked with rescuing a man stuck in his recliner after a fighter pilot crashes into his home during a test flight. Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Based on their recommendations, the plane was also restricted from long-haul flights over water. Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The earlier cabin-pressurization warnings caused Alaska to stop using the plane on flights to Hawaii. David Koenig, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 Headaches were also of a higher intensity and more likely to be like a migraine during the first week of space flight. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2024 As a result, its onboard emergency flight termination system destroyed the vehicle. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
Minutes later, Blake was life flighted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 But his primary task was to return the shuttle program to flight. Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The Blazers were without Anfernee Simons, who has been flighting an illness. Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024 This was an important step toward returning the VSS Unity spacecraft to flight and potentially achieving commercial service later this year. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023 At 18, Murray flighted a wedge from 78 yards inside three feet to match Bradley’s 67 and tied An (64), who two-putted for birdie ahead of him to get to 17 under. Adam Schupak, The Arizona Republic, 15 Jan. 2024 Emirates flight 522 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) touched down almost an hour ahead of schedule. Amanda Maile, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023 Mental health and stress are very closely related, and bringing the nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digestion is how your best decision-making occurs. Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2023 Mullinax was life flighted to a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, for his injuries. Dianne Gallagher, CNN, 10 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English flyht; akin to Middle Dutch vlucht flight, Old English flēogan to fly

Noun (2)

Middle English fluht, fliht; akin to Old High German fluht flight, Old English flēon to flee

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1571, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flight was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near flight

Cite this Entry

“Flight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flight. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flight

1 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings
a flight in a plane
the flight of birds
2
a
: a passing through the air or through outer space
the flight of a bullet
the flight of a rocket to the moon
b
: the distance covered in a flight
3
: a scheduled airplane trip
4
: a group of similar things flying through the air together
a flight of ducks
5
: a brilliant, imaginative, or uncontrolled exercise or display
a flight of fancy
6
: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another

flight

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of running away

More from Merriam-Webster on flight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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