flight S3 W2 /flaɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: flyht ]
1 . TRAVEL [countable] a journey in a plane or space vehicle, or the plane or vehicle that is making the journey ⇨ fly :
He immediately booked a flight to Toulouse.
There are only three flights a day to Logan Airport from Heathrow.
2 . FLYING [uncountable] when something flies through the air
in flight
pelicans in flight
In 1968, the first supersonic airliner took flight (=began flying) .
3 . MOVEMENT THROUGH AIR [uncountable] an object’s or bird’s movement through the air:
During its flight, the weapon twists and turns.
4 . STAIRS [countable] a set of stairs between one floor and the next:
Bert lives two flights down from here.
a flight of stairs/steps
She fell down a whole flight of stairs.
5 . ESCAPE [uncountable] when you leave a place in order to try and escape from a person or a dangerous situation
flight from
Donald Woods' hasty flight from South Africa early in 1978
take flight (also take to flight )British English :
When the alarm sounded, the whole gang took flight.
put somebody to flight (=make someone run away especially by fighting or threatening them)
6 . flight of fancy/imagination/fantasy thoughts, ideas etc that are full of imagination but that are not practical or sensible
7 . BIRDS [countable] a group of birds all flying together SYN flock
flight of
a flight of swallows
⇨ ↑ in-flight , ↑ top-flight
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ book a flight (=reserve a seat on a particular plane)
I booked the flight over the Internet.
▪ get a flight (=book it)
I’ll be there tomorrow morning if I can get a flight.
▪ catch a flight (=be in time to get on a plane)
They caught a flight that night to Frankfurt.
▪ board a flight (=get on a flight)
We arrived at the departure lounge to board the flight to Madrid.
▪ miss a flight (=arrive too late for a flight)
Jack overslept and missed his flight.
▪ charter a flight (=pay a company for the use of their aircraft)
The club have chartered a special flight for fans.
▪ operate flights (=make flights available for people to use)
The airline operates three flights a day between London and New York.
▪ get on/off a flight
She’d just got off a flight from Buenos Aires.
▪ travel on a flight
Passengers travelling on flight BMI 373 to Zurich should proceed to gate 17.
▪ a flight is cancelled (=a flight that was due to go somewhere does not go)
All flights have been cancelled due to fog.
▪ a flight is delayed (=it is late leaving)
Her flight was delayed and she arrived over an hour late.
▪ a flight is diverted (=it is made to change direction and land at a different airport)
Our flight was diverted to Manchester because of poor weather.
▪ a flight is bound for London/New York etc (=it is going there)
Johnson boarded a flight bound for Caracas.
■ adjectives
▪ good/pleasant/comfortable
Have a good flight!
▪ smooth (=with no problems or sudden movements)
The flight had been smooth all the way.
▪ bumpy (=uncomfortable because the plane moved up and down a lot)
The flight was very bumpy, and we really wondered whether we would make it.
▪ long/short
I was very tired after the long flight.
▪ cheap flights
Environmental groups are calling for an end to cheap flights.
▪ a direct/non-stop flight (=a flight going straight from one place to another without stopping )
the first direct flight to Tokyo
▪ an international flight (=a flight between one country and another)
The number of international flights increased by over 5% last year.
▪ a domestic/internal flight (=a flight within a country)
Is there a domestic flight between Havana and Varadero?
▪ a long-haul flight (=travelling a long distance)
You should wear comfortable clothes on a long-haul flight.
▪ a scheduled flight (=a plane service that flies at the same time every day or every week)
There are scheduled flights between the islands.
▪ a charter flight (=a plane service that is arranged for a particular group or purpose)
The company is operating charter flights to Crete.
▪ a connecting flight (=a flight that arrives before another one leaves)
We had to wait for three hours in New York before catching a connecting flight to Chicago.
▪ an intercontinental flight (=a flight that goes from one continent to another, for example from Europe to Asia)
Passengers on intercontinental flights can reserve seats with extra legroom.
▪ a routine flight (=a normal flight)
They were on a routine flight when their helicopter developed engine trouble
▪ an airline flight
domestic airline flights
▪ a test flight (=a flight to test a new plane)
The aircraft made a successful test flight on June 3rd.
▪ a maiden flight (=the first flight of an aircraft)
The plane’s maiden flight is scheduled for November.
■ flight + NOUN
▪ the flight time (=how long it takes to fly somewhere)
Our estimated flight time is three hours and fifteen minutes.
▪ the flight path (=the route taken by an aircraft)
They lived directly underneath a busy flight path.
▪ the flight number
Write the flight number on all your luggage labels.
▪ a flight plan (=the planned route of an aircraft)
For some reason the pilot diverged from the flight plan.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ by plane/boat/car/bicycle etc
▪ flight a journey by air:
You should check in at the airport two hours before your flight.
▪ voyage /ˈvɔɪ-ɪdʒ/ a long journey over the sea:
MacArthur’s epic round-the-world voyage
▪ crossing a short journey by boat from one piece of land to another:
A 30-minute ferry crossing takes you to the island.
▪ cruise a journey by boat for pleasure:
a Mediterranean cruise
|
a cruise down the Nile
▪ drive a journey in a car, often for pleasure:
The drive through the mountains was absolutely beautiful.
▪ ride a short journey in a car, or on a bicycle or horse:
It’s a twenty-minute taxi ride to the station.
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a bike ride