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 telescope’s data on Neptune also revealed a new mystery: Since Voyager 2’s flyby more than three decades ago, the temperature of the planet’s upper atmosphere has dropped by hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit.
—
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
This flyby is part of a series of five near-Earth approaches currently being closely monitored by NASA's Asteroid Watch Dashboard, a tool that tracks asteroids and comets making relatively close passes to our planet.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
The flyby took place on Wednesday (March 12), and the European Space Agency presented the images during a webcast today.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The risk of Apophis impacting Earth during its 2029 flyby even rose as high as 2.7% on the Sentry Impact Risk Table.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flyby
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025
This flyby is part of a series of five near-Earth approaches currently being closely monitored by NASA's Asteroid Watch Dashboard, a tool that tracks asteroids and comets making relatively close passes to our planet.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
The flyby took place on Wednesday (March 12), and the European Space Agency presented the images during a webcast today.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2025
The risk of Apophis impacting Earth during its 2029 flyby even rose as high as 2.7% on the Sentry Impact Risk Table.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flyby
Cite this Entry
“Flyby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flyby. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share