overfly

verb

over·​fly ˌō-vər-ˈflī How to pronounce overfly (audio)
overflew ˌō-vər-ˈflü How to pronounce overfly (audio) ; overflown ˌō-vər-ˈflōn How to pronounce overfly (audio) ; overflying

transitive verb

: to fly over
especially : to pass over in an aircraft or spacecraft

Examples of overfly in a Sentence

The jets overflew the stadium.
Recent Examples on the Web The plane was originally designed to overfly the Soviet Union, gathering vital information on the country’s nuclear weapons program. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023 The oblast—adjacent to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city—had already been hit by Ukrainian drones, bombarded by artillery and helicopter attacks, and even blasted mistakenly by glide bombs accidentally dropped by an overflying Russian bomber. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 26 May 2023 Read more: Airspace Dispute Has US Carriers Sitting Out China’s Reopening US airlines and their lobby group, Airlines for America, are pushing the Biden Administration to level the playing field against Chinese rivals who can overfly Russia. Danny Lee, Bloomberg.com, 5 June 2023 The aircraft may have overflown its destination at an altitude of 34,000 feet, then turned southwest, senior officials said. Jay Blackman, NBC News, 5 June 2023 Already, Ukraine’s troops have managed to disable even T-90M tanks with anti-tank grenades dropped by overflying commercial drones. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 1 May 2023 Icelandic officials and volcanologists will head out tomorrow morning (Icelandic) to overfly to inspect the area. Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 21 May 2011 Clarke said his airline is also free to overfly Russia, and does so on routes to the U.S. west coast. Christopher Jasper, Bloomberg.com, 29 Mar. 2022 Flights that normally overfly the Ukraine or Russia have been shifted and are now longer. Michael Goldstein, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overfly.' 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

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overfly was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near overfly

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

overfly

verb
over·​fly ˌō-vər-ˈflī How to pronounce overfly (audio)
overflew -ˈflü How to pronounce overfly (audio) ; overflown -ˈflōn How to pronounce overfly (audio) ; overflying
: to fly over
especially : to pass over in an aircraft or spacecraft

More from Merriam-Webster on overfly

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