FLY BY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fly by mean? 

• FLY BY (verb)
  The verb FLY BY has 2 senses:

1. pass by while flying

2. move by very quickly

  Familiarity information: FLY BY used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLY BY (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Pass by while flying

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

An enemy plane flew by

Hypernyms (to "fly by" is one way to...):

go by; go past; pass; pass by; surpass; travel by (move past)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move by very quickly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

fly by; whisk by; zip by

Hypernyms (to "fly by" is one way to...):

go by; go past; pass; pass by; surpass; travel by (move past)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Sentence example:

These cars won't fly by

 Context examples 

The following day, comet P/2016 BA14 will safely fly by our planet at a distance of about 2.2 million miles (3.5 million kilometers).

(A 'Tail' of Two Comets, NASA)

The new prediction for 2013 TX68 is that it will fly by roughly 3 million miles (5 million kilometers) from our planet.

(Small Asteroid to Pass Close to Earth March 8, NASA)

The next known encounter of an asteroid of comparable size will occur in 2027 when the half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) asteroid 1999 AN10 will fly by at one lunar distance, about 236,000 miles (380,000 kilometers).

(Asteroid to Fly Safely Past Earth on April 19, NASA)

To accurately fly by and point the spacecraft's instruments at a smorgasbord of targets, engineers used trajectory correction maneuver, or TCM, thrusters that are identical in size and functionality to the attitude control thrusters, and are located on the back side of the spacecraft.

(Voyager 1 Fires Up Thrusters After 37 Years, NASA)

A small asteroid that two years ago flew past Earth at a comfortable distance of about 1.3 million miles (2 million kilometers) will safely fly by our planet.

(Small Asteroid to Pass Close to Earth March 8, NASA)