flyby

noun

fly·​by ˈflī-ˌbī 

plural flybys

1

: a prearranged usually low-altitude flight by one or more airplanes over a public gathering (such as an air show)

2

a

: a flight of a spacecraft past a celestial body (such as Mars) close enough to obtain scientific data

b

: a spacecraft that makes a flyby

Examples of flyby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lander would then touchdown on the moon’s surface, following several flybys, around 2058. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2025

The flyby came two days after NATO met to discuss Russia’s recent violation of Estonian airspace with three MiG-31 fighter aircraft. —Matthew Bodner, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025

Mariner 2, the first successful mission to another planet that performed a flyby of Venus in 1962, also was the first to measure the solar wind, proving its existence. —Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025

The launch, planned for early 2026, will send four astronauts on a flyby of the moon, while the Artemis 3 mission will attempt to land humans on the lunar surface in 2027. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for flyby

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

flyby

noun

fly·​by -ˌbī 

plural flybys

1

: a usually low-altitude flight past a chosen place by one or more aircraft

2

a

: a flight of a spacecraft past a heavenly body (as Mars) close enough to obtain scientific information

b

: a spacecraft that makes a flyby