flight

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈflīt 

plural flights

often attributive

1

a

: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings

the flight of a bee

b

: the ability to fly

flight is natural to birds

2

a

: a passing through the air or through space outside the earth's atmosphere

flight of an arrow

the flight of a rocket to the moon

b

: the distance covered in such a flight

c

: swift movement

3

a

: a trip made by or in an airplane or spacecraft

a transatlantic flight

b(1)

: a scheduled airplane trip

Our flight is at noon.

(2)

: the airplane that is making a trip

They boarded flight 109.

4

a

: a group of similar beings or objects flying through the air together

a flight of geese

b

: a number of competitors (as in a sport) grouped together on the basis of demonstrated skill or ability or for purposes of elimination contests prior to a final test

At a meet, shot putters and discus throwers are often separated into flights.

—Kristin Wolden Nitz

c

: a selection of alcoholic drinks (such as wines, beers, or whiskeys) for tasting as a group

Most of the 20 people attending the tasting were German wine collectors and they seemed almost always to prefer the most powerful wine in each flight.

—James Suckling

The tour meets in the White Labs tasting room, where you will have to ignore the siren call of the beer flights and follow your guide to the actual labs.

—Karla Peterson

5

: a brilliant, imaginative, or unrestrained exercise or display

a flight of fancy

6

a

: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another

Her apartment is four flights up.

b

: a series (as of terraces or conveyors) resembling a flight of stairs

7

: a unit of the U.S. Air Force below a squadron

flightless

ˈflīt-ləs 

adjective

flight

2 of 3

verb

flighted; flighting; flights

transitive verb

: flush

intransitive verb

: to rise, settle, or fly in a flock

geese flighting on the marsh

flight

3 of 3

noun (2)

: an act or instance of running away

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• flying

Noun (2)

• break
• breakout
• bunk [British]
• escape
• getaway
• lam
• rout
• slip

Examples of flight in a Sentence

Noun (1)

for centuries people had been fascinated by the flight of birds

Noun (2)

a work of 19th-century Romanticism depicting the ancient Israelites' flight from Egypt

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The flight and space experience lasts about 10 minutes. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 15 May 2024

Rapid Rewards members can now pay for flights with as little as 1,000 points to offset some of the airfare. —Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024

The flight made an emergency landing in Cancun, and Kevin was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. —Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2024

The league announced a charter flight partnership with Delta Air Lines last week so players will no longer have to fly to games on commercial airlines. —Rishikesh Rajagopalan, CBS News, 14 May 2024

The Chase Sapphire Lounge was promoted as one of the amenities of a new concourse for Southwest Airlines flights in Terminal 4. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024

The process usually involves a trip to Los Angeles, or even a flight to Sacramento, or costly legal services and sending documents through the mail. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024

While some airlines have proven relatively better equipped to deal with delivery delays, others have had to cut flights out of their schedule to cope with the lack of aircraft. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 13 May 2024

Search can provide trip ideas or sample itineraries, as well as flight and hotel information, informed by online information and Google reviews. —Kara Peeler, Sunset Magazine, 2 May 2024

Verb

The motorcyclist was care flighted to Miami Valley Hospital and was conscious and alert, the city said in a statement. —Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 1 May 2024

Minutes later, Blake was life flighted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. —Tricia Despres, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024

But his primary task was to return the shuttle program to flight. —Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

The Blazers were without Anfernee Simons, who has been flighting an illness. —Anne M. Peterson, USA TODAY, 20 Jan. 2024

This was an important step toward returning the VSS Unity spacecraft to flight and potentially achieving commercial service later this year. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 17 Feb. 2023

At 18, Murray flighted a wedge from 78 yards inside three feet to match Bradley’s 67 and tied An (64), who two-putted for birdie ahead of him to get to 17 under. —Adam Schupak, The Arizona Republic, 15 Jan. 2024

Emirates flight 522 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) touched down almost an hour ahead of schedule. —Amanda Maile, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2023

Mental health and stress are very closely related, and bringing the nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digestion is how your best decision-making occurs. —Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English flyht; akin to Middle Dutch vlucht flight, Old English flēogan to fly

Noun (2)

Middle English fluht, fliht; akin to Old High German fluht flight, Old English flēon to flee

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1571, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing flight

• fight-or-flight
• flight attendant
• flight bag
• flight data recorder
• flight deck
• flight engineer
• flight feather
• flight lieutenant
• flight line
• flight of fancy/imagination/fantasy
• flight path
• flight pay
• flight plan
• flight recorder
• flight suit
• flight surgeon
• flight-test
• in-flight
• put (someone) to flight
• take flight
• time-of-flight
• white flight

Kids Definition

flight

1 of 2 noun

ˈflīt 

1

: an act or instance of passing through the air by the use of wings

a flight in a plane

the flight of birds

2

a

: a passing through the air or through outer space

the flight of a bullet

the flight of a rocket to the moon

b

: the distance covered in a flight

3

: a scheduled airplane trip

4

: a group of similar things flying through the air together

a flight of ducks

5

: a brilliant, imaginative, or uncontrolled exercise or display

a flight of fancy

6

: a continuous series of stairs from one landing or floor to another

flight

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of running away