preflight

1 of 3

adjective

pre·​flight ˈprē-ˌflīt 

: preparing for or preliminary to flight (as of an aircraft)

a preflight inspection

preflight

2 of 3

verb

preflighted; preflighting; preflights

transitive verb

: to inspect (an aircraft) before a flight

preflight

3 of 3

noun

: a preflight inspection of an aircraft

Examples of preflight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

These include experiences such as attending specialized training at the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), shadowing flight surgeons at commercial spaceflight companies, participating in preflight medical briefings and observing launch and landing recovery operations. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 May 2025

Those new to the crew must be able and expected to learn all operating procedures, flight plans and preflight checklists. —Louis Cannataro, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

Backed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the Polaris Program's inaugural mission was originally scheduled for an Aug. 26 launch, which was delayed for additional preflight checks, and then delayed again due to unfavorable launch and return conditions. —Julian Dossett, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2024

The first delay came when SpaceX moved the launch window back from Aug. 26 to Aug. 27 to give teams more time to complete preflight checks. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1942, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1945, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for preflight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight