overflight

noun

over·​flight ˈō-vər-ˌflīt How to pronounce overflight (audio)
: a passage over an area in an aircraft

Examples of overflight in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Then, in 2020, the U.S. withdrew from the Open Skies Treaty because Russia had abused its overflight privileges and because our national technical assets made overflight to obtain information obsolete. John R. Bolton, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 So far, the Coast Guard said overflight assessments determined there have been no reports of injuries or shoreline impacts. Stepheny Price, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2023 As part of the deal, Israel committed to limit unmanned drone overflights above the territory. Neri Zilber, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023 Year after year, however, new data collected from overflights of fracking fields, patrols of urban pipelines, and, most recently, satellite measurements confirmed the Cornell data: leakage rates were high enough to make natural gas unnaturally dangerous. Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023 O’Leary was in Brussels to promote Ryanair’s petition urging the EC to protect overflights across Europe when air traffic controllers go on strike. BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023 The statement is hypocritical at best, since China knows that countries have long demanded balloons obtain overflight rights before entering national airspace—and that American recreational balloonists have previously been forced down—and even shot down for unexpected overflights. Craig Hooper, Forbes, 5 Feb. 2023 That case prompted the start of federal overflights during the Copper River opener, Charles said. Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 3 June 2023 Tension between Russian and US troops is not uncommon in Syria as both countries conduct patrols on the ground as well as overflights. Bassem Mroue, BostonGlobe.com, 8 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overflight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overflight was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near overflight

Cite this Entry

“Overflight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overflight. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

overflight

noun
over·​flight ˈō-vər-ˌflīt How to pronounce overflight (audio)
: a flight over an area

More from Merriam-Webster on overflight

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