Adjacent Words

Flight definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FLIGHT, n. [See Fly.]
1. The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape danger or expected evil; hasty departure.
Pray ye that your flight be not in winter. Matthew 24.
To put to flight, to turn to flight, is to compel to run away; to force to escape.
2. The act of flying; a passing through the air by the help of wings; volation; as the flight of birds and insects.
3. The manner of flying. Every fowl has its particular flight; the flight of the eagle is high; the flight of the swallow is rapid, with sudden turns.
4. Removal from place to place by flying.
5. A flock of birds flying in company; as a flight of pigeons or wild geese.
6. A number of beings flying or moving through the air together; as a flight of angels.
7. A number of things passing through the air together; a volley; as a flight of arrows.
8. A periodical flying of birds in flocks; as the spring flight or autumnal flight of ducks or pigeons.
9. In England, the birds produced in the same season.
10. The space passed by flying.
11. A mounting; a soaring; lofty elevation and excursion; as a flight of imagination or fancy; a flight of ambition.
12. Excursion; wandering; extravagant sally; as a flight of folly.
13. The power of flying.
14. In certain lead works, a substance that flies off in smoke.
Flight of stairs, the series of stairs from the floor, or from one platform to another.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a formation of aircraft in flight
2: an instance of traveling by air; "flying was still an exciting adventure for him" [syn: flight, flying]
3: a stairway (set of steps) between one floor or landing and the next [syn: flight, flight of stairs, flight of steps]
4: the act of escaping physically; "he made his escape from the mental hospital"; "the canary escaped from its cage"; "his flight was an indication of his guilt" [syn: escape, flight]
5: an air force unit smaller than a squadron
6: passing above and beyond ordinary bounds; "a flight of fancy"; "flights of rhetoric"; "flights of imagination"
7: the path followed by an object moving through space [syn: trajectory, flight]
8: a flock of flying birds
9: a scheduled trip by plane between designated airports; "I took the noon flight to Chicago" v
1: shoot a bird in flight
2: fly in a flock; "flighting wild geese"
3: decorate with feathers; "fledge an arrow" [syn: fledge, flight]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English flyht; akin to Middle Dutch vlucht flight, Old English fl?ogan to fly Date: before 12th century 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> <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 b. a scheduled airplane trip 4. a group of similar beings or objects flying through the air together 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 b. a series (as of terraces or conveyors) resembling a flight of stairs 7. a unit of the United States Air Force below a squadron • flightless adjective II. verb Date: 1571 transitive verb flush intransitive verb to rise, settle, or fly in a flock <geese flighting on the marsh> III. noun Etymology: Middle English fluht, fliht; akin to Old High German fluht flight, Old English fl?on to flee Date: 13th century an act or instance of running away

U.S. Military Dictionary

1. In Navy and Marine Corps usage, a specified group of aircraft usually engaged in a common mission. 2. The basic tactical unit in the Air Force, consisting of four or more aircraft in two or more elements. 3. A single aircraft airborne on a nonoperational mission. (JP 3-30)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a the act or manner of flying through the air (studied swallows' flight). b the swift movement or passage of a projectile etc. through the air (the flight of an arrow). 2 a a journey made through the air or in space. b a timetabled journey made by an airline. c an RAF unit of about six aircraft. 3 a a flock or large body of birds, insects, etc., esp. when migrating. b a migration. 4 (usu. foll. by of) a series, esp. of stairs between floors, or of hurdles across a race track (lives up six flights). 5 an extravagant soaring, a mental or verbal excursion or sally (of wit etc.) (a flight of fancy; a flight of ambition). 6 the trajectory and pace of a ball in games. 7 the distance that a bird, aircraft, or missile can fly. 8 (usu. foll. by of) a volley (a flight of arrows). 9 the tail of a dart. 10 the pursuit of game by a hawk. 11 swift passage (of time). --v.tr. 1 vary the trajectory and pace of (a cricket-ball etc.). 2 provide (an arrow) with feathers. 3 shoot (wildfowl etc.) in flight. Phrases and idioms: flight bag a small, zipped, shoulder bag carried by air travellers. flight control an internal or external system directing the movement of aircraft. flight-deck 1 the deck of an aircraft-carrier used for take-off and landing. 2 the accommodation for the pilot, navigator, etc. in an aircraft. flight-feather a bird's wing or tail feather. flight lieutenant an RAF officer next in rank below squadron leader. flight officer a rank in the WRAF, corresponding to flight lieutenant. flight path the planned course of an aircraft or spacecraft. flight-recorder a device in an aircraft to record technical details during a flight, that may be used in the event of an accident to discover its cause. flight sergeant Mil. an RAF rank next above sergeant. flight-test test (an aircraft, rocket, etc.) during flight. in the first (or top) flight taking a leading place. take (or wing) one's flight fly. Etymology: OE flyht f. WG: rel to FLY(1) 2. n. 1 a the act or manner of fleeing. b a hasty retreat. 2 Econ. the selling of currency, investments, etc. in anticipation of a fall in value (flight from sterling). Phrases and idioms: put to flight cause to flee. take (or take to) flight flee. Etymology: OE f. Gmc: rel. to FLEE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Flight Flight (fl[imac]t), n. [AS. fliht, flyht, a flying, fr. fle['o]gan to fly; cf. flyht a fleeing, fr. fle['o]n to flee, G. flucht a fleeing, Sw. flykt, G. flug a flying, Sw. flygt, D. vlugt a fleeing or flying, Dan. flugt. [root]84. See Flee, Fly.] 1. The act or flying; a passing through the air by the help of wings; volitation; mode or style of flying. Like the night owl's lazy flight. --Shak. 2. The act of fleeing; the act of running away, to escape or expected evil; hasty departure. Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. --Matt. xxiv. 20. Fain by flight to save themselves. --Shak. 3. Lofty elevation and excursion;a mounting; a soa?ing; as, a flight of imagination, ambition, folly. Could he have kept his spirit to that flight, He had been happy. --Byron. His highest flights were indeed far below those of Taylor. --Macaulay. 4. A number of beings or things passing through the air together; especially, a flock of birds flying in company; the birds that fly or migrate together; the birds produced in one season; as, a flight of arrows. --Swift. Swift flights of angels ministrant. --Milton. Like a flight of fowl Scattered winds and tempestuous gusts. --Shak. 5. A series of steps or stairs from one landing to another. --Parker. 6. A kind of arrow for the longbow; also, the sport of shooting with it. See Shaft. [Obs.] Challenged Cupid at the flight. --Shak. Not a flight drawn home E'er made that haste that they have. --Beau. & Fl. 7. The husk or glume of oats. [Prov. Eng.] --Wright.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(flights) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A flight is a journey made by flying, usually in an aeroplane. The flight will take four hours. N-COUNT 2. You can refer to an aeroplane carrying passengers on a particular journey as a particular flight. I'll try to get on the flight down to Karachi tonight... BA flight 286 was two hours late. N-COUNT: also N num 3. Flight is the action of flying, or the ability to fly. These hawks are magnificent in flight, soaring and circling for long periods... Supersonic flight could become a routine form of travel in the 21st century. 4. A flight of birds is a group of them flying together. A flight of green parrots shot out of the cedar forest. N-COUNT: N of n 5. Flight is the act of running away from a dangerous or unpleasant situation or place. The family was often in flight, hiding out in friends' houses. ...her hurried flight from the palace in a cart. N-UNCOUNT: oft in N 6. A flight of steps or stairs is a set of steps or stairs that lead from one level to another without changing direction. We walked in silence up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor. N-COUNT: usu N of n 7. If someone takes flight, they run away from an unpleasant situation or place. He was told of the raid and decided to take flight immediately. = flee PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Flying, soaring, mounting, volitation. 2. Fleeing, hasty departure, flying. 3. Flock (of birds). 4. Volley, shower.

Moby Thesaurus

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