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 country's Chang'e 2 lunar orbiter made a flyby of the asteroid Toutatis in 2012 as part of an extended mission after mapping the moon. —Andrew Jones, Space.com, 8 June 2025

Juno’s next close flyby of Jupiter, perijove 73, will occur on June 10, 2025. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

So would the New Horizons mission, which is exploring the outer solar system after acing its Pluto flyby in July 2015, and Juno, a probe that has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 31 May 2025

With the Mars flyby complete, Clipper's next gravity assist will come from Earth in 2026. —Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 13 May 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