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
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But as the astronauts saw during their flyby, the moon is gray, black, brown, tan, white, green and even blue. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Westerwald, 623 Chimaera, 13294 Rockox—then a flyby of Mars—before visiting 88055 Ghaf, 23871 Ousha and 59980 Moza. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026 The path to Jupiter’s moons, which scientists believe could harbor conditions friendly for sustaining life, is long and paved with Earth flybys. — Meghan Bartels, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2026 The last flyby, in January 2025, yielded stunning photos of Mercury’s impact craters and volcanic plains. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flyby

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flyby was in 1953

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flyby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flyby. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

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
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