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

Fast-Mover Launched in 2006, New Horizons is famous for its flyby of Pluto in 2015, the first time the dwarf planet had been imaged close-up. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

To date, only a single mission, the 2015 New Horizons flyby, has ever dropped by Pluto. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Hera’s flyby will capture data for Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration probe. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024

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