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 flyby, which gave the spacecraft a critical gravity assist, will propel it toward the Didymos binary asteroid system — which NASA successfully deflected into a new orbit in September 2022 using its DART spacecraft. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025

In contrast to BepiColombo, which observed Venus only during a flyby, Himawari can monitor the planet over a much longer timescale. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 23 July 2025

The ominous flyby will occur on Friday, April 13, 2029 — less than four years away. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

Every flyby has to be done with extreme precision so the Solar Orbiter passes through exactly the right point in space at a precise point in time. —David Szondy june 15, New Atlas, 15 June 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