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

In a flyby maneuver earlier this year, Psyche used the planet’s gravity to reshape its trajectory, all while capturing images that NASA has stitched into a mesmerizing time-lapse video. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 21 July 2026

But the mission team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California needed to use the Mars flyby to harness some of the planet's gravitational forces for even more of a boost. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 21 July 2026

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft returned spectacular images of a near-Earth asteroid following a super-close flyby on July 5, but heated debate was needed before teams signed off on the daring attempt. — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 19 July 2026

In 2015, New Horizons became the first spacecraft to conduct a detailed flyby of Pluto and its moons, which changed scientists’ understanding of the frigid dwarf planet. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 16 July 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