Definition for flight - Oxford Dictionaries Online (World English)

Subscriber login

Library card login

Close menu

	Email Cite
	flight (flight) Pronunciation: /flʌɪt/ noun 1 [mass noun] the action or process of flying through the air: an eagle in flight the history of space flight [count noun] an act of flying; a journey made through the air or in space, especially a timetabled journey made by an airline: a return flight from Gatwick to Berlin the movement or trajectory of a projectile or ball through the air: the golfer’s swing is obviously critical to the ball’s flight [as modifier] relating to or denoting archery in which the main concern is shooting long distances: short, light flight arrows 2a flock or large body of birds or insects in the air, especially when migrating: flights of whooper swans a group of aircraft operating together, especially an RAF or USAF unit of about six aircraft: he dispatched the Hurricanes in three flights 3 [mass noun] the action of fleeing: the enemy were now in flight [in singular]: a headlong flight from reality the selling of currency or shares by many investors: an anti-inflationary move aimed at stemming the flight of capital literary the swift passage of time: the never-ending flight of future days 4a series of steps between floors or levels: I climbed the three flights of stairs which led to his office a series of hurdles across a racetrack. a sequence of locks by which a canal ascends an incline. 5an extravagant or far-fetched idea or thought process: his research assistant was prone to flights of fancy 6the tail of a dart. verb [with object] 1British (in soccer, cricket, etc.) deliver (a ball) with well-judged trajectory and pace: he flighted a free kick into the box 2provide (an arrow or dart) with feathers or vanes: shafts of wood flighted with a handful of feathers 3shoot (wildfowl) in flight: (as noun flighting) duck and geese flighting Phrases in full flight escaping as fast as possible: soon the infantry were in full flight having gained momentum in a run or activity: Yorke was brought down in full flight put someone/thing to flight cause someone or something to flee: the hussars would have been put to flight take flight 1take off and fly: the ducks took flight 2 (also take to flight) flee: many Huguenots took flight from France Origin: Old English flyht 'action or manner of flying', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vlucht and fly¹. This was probably merged in Middle English with an unrecorded Old English word related to German Flucht and to flee, which is represented by sense 3 of the noun		Search results in the dictionary in-flight flight bag flight case flight crew flight deck flight line More results » Nearby Words flexwing flibbertigibbet flic ¹ flic ² flick flick knife flick roll flicker ¹ flicker ² flight flight attendant flight bag flight capital flight case flight control flight crew flight deck flight engineer flight envelope