plural flights
often attributive
1
a
: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings
the flight of a bee
b
: the ability to fly
flight is natural to birds
2
a
: a passing through the air or through space outside the earth's atmosphere
flight of an arrow
the flight of a rocket to the moon
b
: the distance covered in such a flight
c
: swift movement
3
a
: a trip made by or in an airplane or spacecraft
a transatlantic flight
b(1)
: a scheduled airplane trip
Our flight is at noon.
(2)
: the airplane that is making a trip
They boarded flight 109.
4
a
: a group of similar beings or objects flying through the air together
a flight of geese
b
: a number of competitors (as in a sport) grouped together on the basis of demonstrated skill or ability or for purposes of elimination contests prior to a final test
At a meet, shot putters and discus throwers are often separated into flights.—
Kristin Wolden Nitz
Kristin Wolden Nitz
c
: a selection of alcoholic drinks (such as wines, beers, or whiskeys) for tasting as a group
Most of the 20 people attending the tasting were German wine collectors and they seemed almost always to prefer the most powerful wine in each flight.—James Suckling
James SucklingThe tour meets in the White Labs tasting room, where you will have to ignore the siren call of the beer flights and follow your guide to the actual labs.—Karla Peterson
Karla Peterson5
: a brilliant, imaginative, or unrestrained exercise or display
a flight of fancy
6
a
: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another
Her apartment is four flights up.
b
: a series (as of terraces or conveyors) resembling a flight of stairs
7
: a unit of the U.S. Air Force below a squadron
flighted; flighting; flights
: to rise, settle, or fly in a flock
geese flighting on the marsh
: an act or instance of running away
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Noun (2)
Examples of flight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebLori Aratani The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Trip jacket selection is an art and a science, best done elegantly, with attention paid to form, function, aesthetics and viability — as a pillow when folded into fourths or eighths on a long-haul flight.
—Goth Shakira, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
While the exact plot of the movie remains under wraps, Östlund has teased it several times as a social satire set on a long-haul flight on which the entertainment system isn’t working, sparking chaos and rages among passengers.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Other countries, including Australia, are tracking how the dispersion of ash may affect their flights.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Once again, the British awards will take place smack in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, which runs Feb. 13-23, meaning many Brit executives will be booking flights back from the German capital on the first festival weekend.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
In addition to analyzing Israel’s air defenses, Tehran will probably also be studying the problems with its missile systems that reportedly led to failures at launch and in flight, according to Afshon Ostovar, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the 38-year-old posted a video on her Instagram Stories of herself sleeping at a Dubai airport after a five-hour flight delay.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Some airlines even used the eclipse as a selling point, offering flights along the path of totality.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
But his primary task was to return the shuttle program to flight.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The Blazers were without Anfernee Simons, who has been flighting an illness.
—Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
This was an important step toward returning the VSS Unity spacecraft to flight and potentially achieving commercial service later this year.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023
At 18, Murray flighted a wedge from 78 yards inside three feet to match Bradley’s 67 and tied An (64), who two-putted for birdie ahead of him to get to 17 under.
—Adam Schupak, The Arizona Republic, 15 Jan. 2024
Emirates flight 522 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) touched down almost an hour ahead of schedule.
—Amanda Maile, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023
Mental health and stress are very closely related, and bringing the nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digestion is how your best decision-making occurs.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2023
Mullinax was life flighted to a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, for his injuries.
—Dianne Gallagher, CNN, 10 May 2023
Noun
The Federal Aviation Administration needs to take steps to reduce fatigue and stress among the air traffic controllers who oversee 45,000 flights daily, a report warned on Friday.
—Lori Aratani The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Trip jacket selection is an art and a science, best done elegantly, with attention paid to form, function, aesthetics and viability — as a pillow when folded into fourths or eighths on a long-haul flight.
—Goth Shakira, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
While the exact plot of the movie remains under wraps, Östlund has teased it several times as a social satire set on a long-haul flight on which the entertainment system isn’t working, sparking chaos and rages among passengers.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Other countries, including Australia, are tracking how the dispersion of ash may affect their flights.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Once again, the British awards will take place smack in the middle of the Berlin Film Festival, which runs Feb. 13-23, meaning many Brit executives will be booking flights back from the German capital on the first festival weekend.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Apr. 2024
In addition to analyzing Israel’s air defenses, Tehran will probably also be studying the problems with its missile systems that reportedly led to failures at launch and in flight, according to Afshon Ostovar, a professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, April 7, the 38-year-old posted a video on her Instagram Stories of herself sleeping at a Dubai airport after a five-hour flight delay.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Some airlines even used the eclipse as a selling point, offering flights along the path of totality.
—Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
Verb
Minutes later, Blake was life flighted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.
—Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
But his primary task was to return the shuttle program to flight.
—Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The Blazers were without Anfernee Simons, who has been flighting an illness.
—Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024
This was an important step toward returning the VSS Unity spacecraft to flight and potentially achieving commercial service later this year.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023
At 18, Murray flighted a wedge from 78 yards inside three feet to match Bradley’s 67 and tied An (64), who two-putted for birdie ahead of him to get to 17 under.
—Adam Schupak, The Arizona Republic, 15 Jan. 2024
Emirates flight 522 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) touched down almost an hour ahead of schedule.
—Amanda Maile, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023
Mental health and stress are very closely related, and bringing the nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digestion is how your best decision-making occurs.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2023
Mullinax was life flighted to a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, for his injuries.
—Dianne Gallagher, CNN, 10 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flight
Cite this Entry
“Flight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flight. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flight
1 of 2 noun1
: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings
a flight in a plane
the flight of birds
2
a
: a passing through the air or through outer space
the flight of a bullet
the flight of a rocket to the moon
b
: the distance covered in a flight
3
: a scheduled airplane trip
4
: a group of similar things flying through the air together
a flight of ducks
5
: a brilliant, imaginative, or uncontrolled exercise or display
a flight of fancy
6
: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another
flight
2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of running away
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