flyover

American  

[flahy-oh-ver] / ˈflaɪˌoʊ vər /

noun

1. a formation of aircraft in flight for observation from the ground, especially a prearranged, low-altitude flight over a public gathering.

2. a flight over a simulated target by a bomber or bombing planes.

3. a flight over a specified area, as for viewing.

   We booked a one-hour flyover of the Grand Canyon.

4. the action of passing or flying overhead.

   rumors of another UFO flyover.

5. British. an overhead crossing, especially a highway overpass.

---

adjective

1. Informal: Usually Disparaging. noting a state or region of the United States between the East and West Coasts that is not typically considered to be a tourist destination and is flown over during transcontinental flights.

   You know, some of the most prestigious universities are located in flyover country, so try not to be such an East Coast snob.

flyover British  

/ ˈflaɪˌəʊvə /

noun

1. Also called: overpass. 

   1. an intersection of two roads at which one is carried over the other by a bridge

   2. such a bridge

2. the US name for fly-past

---

Etymology

Origin of flyover

First recorded in 1900–05; noun and adjective use of verb phrase fly over

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flyover

Runners were treated to a Red Arrows flyover above the Tyne Bridge at the start and again at the end of the route on The Leas in South Shields.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which primarily runs domestic flights, has been under a three-hour airspace closure to accommodate the US military flyover.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Data center projects have been touted as a new source of growth for small towns and flyover country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Britain's King Charles III laid on a state visit for Trump at Windsor Castle in September 2025 complete with yet another flyover and lashings of pomp and ceremony.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Even more awkwardly anomalous was another species of trilobite found in Europe and the Pacific Northwest but nowhere in between, which would have required not so much a land bridge as a flyover.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson