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

This concept animation depicts NASA's Clipper spacecraft making a flyby of Jupiter's moon Europa. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 14 Oct. 2024

An artist's impression of NASA's Europa Clipper probe making a close flyby of Jupiter's moon Europa, one of four discovered in 1610 by Galileo. —William Harwood, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2024

This latest flyby reduced the spacecraft’s speed and changed its direction. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024

The flyby of Io was one of three in 2023 and 2024, during which JunoCam acquired around 20 close-up visible color images. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 30 Sep. 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