flight
flite
/flaɪt/
The action or process of flying through the air, or a journey made in an aircraft.
Can refer strictly to the journey on an airplane, the physical act of flying, or a group of birds.
The story behind the word. From the Proto-Germanic 'flugiz', which directly relates to the verb 'to fly'. It has been used in English since ancient times to describe both birds and arrows, long before human beings invented airplanes.
Word relationships
- aviation: Aviation is the science or industry of flying, while flight is the actual journey or act of flying.
- air travel: Air travel is the general concept, whereas a flight is a specific, scheduled journey.
Commonly confused with
- flee: Flee is a verb meaning to run away, while flight is a noun that can mean the act of flying or escaping.
Word family
- fly (verb): To move through the air.
Collocations
- direct flight
- domestic flight
- international flight
- flight attendant
Idioms & expressions
- take flight
- in full flight
Example sentences
- "We booked a direct flight from New York to London to save time." Booking travel
- "The departure board indicated that our flight was delayed by two hours." At the airport
Memory hook
Flight is simply what you do when you fly high in the night. A flight is a journey in the sky.
When not to use
Do not use for ground or water-based journeys.
Fun facts
- The Wright brothers' first successful powered flight in 1903 lasted only 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
Also appears in
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.