flight

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈflīt 

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

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

The 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

5

: 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

flightless

ˈflīt-ləs 

adjective

flight

2 of 3

verb

flighted; flighting; flights

transitive verb

: flush

intransitive verb

: to rise, settle, or fly in a flock

geese flighting on the marsh

flight

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an act or instance of running away

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• flying

Noun (2)

• break
• breakout
• bunk [British]
• escape
• getaway
• lam
• rout
• slip

Examples of flight in a Sentence

Noun (1)

for centuries people had been fascinated by the flight of birds

Noun (2)

a work of 19th-century Romanticism depicting the ancient Israelites' flight from Egypt

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

SpaceX has been talking about its big plans for Starship for years: long-duration flights in between planets, developing a Moon base, and even point-to-point transit here on Earth. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024

While there is no indication that the bomb hoaxes are linked to the diplomatic spat, threats to Air India flights in Canada have revived painful memories of the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 by Sikh extremists, the worst terrorist attack in Canada’s history. —Helen Regan, CNN, 16 Oct. 2024

Unity 24 was a glide flight test before Unity 25, which marked the company’s return to crewed flights. —Valerie Stimac, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

The first option is quick; Finnair and Norwegian both serve RVN, and the flight is about an hour and a half. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English flyht; akin to Middle Dutch vlucht flight, Old English flēogan to fly

Noun (2)

Middle English fluht, fliht; akin to Old High German fluht flight, Old English flēon to flee

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1571, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing flight

• fight-or-flight
• flight attendant
• flight bag
• flight data recorder
• flight deck
• flight engineer
• flight feather
• flight lieutenant
• flight line
• flight of fancy/imagination/fantasy
• flight path
• flight pay
• flight plan
• flight recorder
• flight suit
• flight surgeon
• flight-test
• in-flight
• put (someone) to flight
• take flight
• time-of-flight
• white flight

Kids Definition

flight

1 of 2 noun

ˈflīt 

1

: 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