fly by

(redirected from a flyby)

fly by

1. verb To pass someone by flying. Ethel screamed as a bird flew right by her head and startled her.

2. verb To pass or go by swiftly, usually a period of time. I don't know, we just started chatting, and then I looked up and two hours had flown by! With the way senior year is flying by, we'll be graduates before you know it!

3. verb To make a short, surprise visit. Oh, Paulina only flew by for a few hours, that's why you didn't see her.

4. noun A flight that travels very close to an intended target, often in outer space. When used as a noun, the phrase is usually written as one word. We'll do a flyby to collect more information on that planet.

fly by

1. Lit. to soar past, flying. Three jet fighters flew by. A huge hawk flew by, frightening all the smaller birds.

2. Fig. [for time] to go quickly. The hours just flew by, because we were having fun. Time flew by so fast that it was dark before we knew it.

fly by

1. To pass quickly, as of a moving object or an interval of time: The summer months flew by, leaving us only a few days warm enough for swimming.

2. To visit briefly, often unexpectedly: Some of my old school friends flew by for a short visit last week.

3. To move past in flight: Several geese flew by as we climbed the hill.