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

Here's how to watch the rare flyby during two livestreams on June 26 and June 27. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 June 2026

An asteroid of this size comes this close to Earth only roughly once every decade, making this weekend’s flyby a rare observing opportunity rather than a routine close approach. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

Isaacman, however, argued that jumping straight from this year’s Artemis II lunar flyby to a moon landing mission with Artemis III was too big of a technological leap. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 June 2026

Clever storage was especially important during the lunar flyby, Rodriguez said, as the crew didn’t want to waste precious minutes trying to retrieve cameras, tablets, and other equipment when Moon observations were the priority. — New Atlas, 6 June 2026

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