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 first was a flyby of the asteroid Dinkinesh on Nov. 1, 2023. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 19 Apr. 2025

This is 28 seconds longer than the previous estimate, which was made by NASA's Voyager 2 probe during its flyby of the ice giant planet back in 1986. —Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025

Despite being labeled by NASA as potentially hazardous due to its size and proximity to Earth's orbit, Saturday's flyby poses no risk to our planet, Virtual Telescope Project founder and astronomer Gianluca Masi told Space.com in an email. —Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 4 Apr. 2025

The unit also did a flyby over Paris during the France segment of the 2020 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025

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