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 BepiColombo spacecraft—a joint endeavor between the European and Japanese space agencies—has just snapped stunning photographs of Mercury’s north pole during its recent flyby of the innermost planet. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Jan. 2025

The BepiColombo spacecraft has made its sixth and final flyby of the closest planet to the sun, Mercury, capturing some incredible images of the tiny world. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 9 Jan. 2025

The European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft, which has been studying Mercury since its launch in 2018, flew just 183 miles above the planet's night side during its final flyby of the planet. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025

One key event for Lucy is its flyby of the inner main-belt asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson, scheduled for April 20, 2025. —Zhenbo Wang, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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