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

During the flyby, JUICE came to within 5,370 miles ( 8640 kilometers) of Earth, with careful adjustments made to help the probe avoid colliding with satellites around our planet. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026

The path to Jupiter’s moons, which scientists believe could harbor conditions friendly for sustaining life, is long and paved with Earth flybys. — Meghan Bartels, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026

The last flyby, in January 2025, yielded stunning photos of Mercury’s impact craters and volcanic plains. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

During one such flyby in 2021, the spacecraft captured some photographs of the surface from just 199 kilometers (123 miles) away. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Sep. 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