Definition

1. Noun:

   • A journey made by air, especially in an aircraft: A scheduled trip by plane between designated airports.
   • The act or process of flying through the air: The movement or ability to move through the air.
   • A group of creatures or objects flying together: A flock of birds or a formation of aircraft moving through the air.
   • A series of stairs between one floor and the next: A set of steps or a staircase.
   • An act of escaping or running away: The act of fleeing from danger, pursuit, or confinement.
   • A soaring or extravagant expression or instance: A burst or outpouring, especially of imagination, rhetoric, or fancy.

2. Verb:

   • To shoot (a bird) while it is flying: To hunt by bringing down a bird in flight.
   • To fly or cause to fly in a group: To move through the air in a flock or formation.
   • To provide or decorate with feathers: To fit an arrow with feathers for stable flight.

Examples

• Noun:

  • I booked a flight to London for next week.
  • We watched the flight of the eagle as it soared above the cliffs.
  • A flight of geese passed overhead in a V-formation.
  • Her apartment is up three flights of stairs.
  • The prisoners' flight from the camp was daring and well-planned.
  • The poet's writing is known for its flights of imagination.

• Verb:

  • He went to the marsh to flight ducks.
  • The birds flight south for the winter.
  • The craftsman carefully flighted the arrow.

Advanced Usage

• "in flight": While flying; during a journey by air.
  • The meal is served while the aircraft is in flight.
• "take flight": To begin flying; to flee or run away.
  • The birds take flight at the first sign of danger.
  • The suspect took flight when he saw the police.
• "flight of fancy": An idea or plan that is imaginative but not practical or realistic.
  • His proposal was dismissed as a mere flight of fancy.

Variants and Related Words

• Flightless (adj): (Of a bird or insect) unable to fly.
  • The penguin is a flightless bird.
• Flighty (adj): Fickle and irresponsible; (of a person) prone to sudden changes of mood or behavior.
  • She was considered too flighty for such a serious job.
• Flight deck (n): The cockpit and crew area of an aircraft; the deck of an aircraft carrier.
• Flight attendant (n): A member of the cabin crew on an aircraft.

Synonyms

• Noun: Journey (by air), trip, voyage; escape, getaway; flock, squadron; staircase, stairs.
• Verb: Shoot, hunt; flee, escape.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Flight" is not commonly used to form phrasal verbs. Its verbal uses are more specific and technical.)

Related Idioms

• "Flight of the imagination": A very imaginative idea.
  • The novel's plot is a remarkable flight of the imagination.
• "Put to flight": To cause to flee or run away.
  • The army put the invaders to flight.
• "Top flight": Of the highest quality or rank.
  • She is a top-flight surgeon.

Noun

1. a scheduled trip by plane between designated airports
   • I took the noon flight to Chicago
2. a flock of flying birds
3. the path followed by an object moving through space
4. passing above and beyond ordinary bounds
   • a flight of fancy
   • flights of rhetoric
   • flights of imagination
5. an air force unit smaller than a squadron
6. 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
7. a stairway (set of steps) between one floor or landing and the next
8. an instance of traveling by air
   • flying was still an exciting adventure for him
9. a formation of aircraft in flight

Verb

1. decorate with feathers
   • fledge an arrow
2. fly in a flock
   • flighting wild geese
3. shoot a bird in flight