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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of flyover

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

Example Sentences

Dealerships in flyover states, for example, have less demand than those in big cities, which can bring prices down.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

There were fireworks, there was a flyover, there was Will Ferrell screaming and Keith Williams Jr. crooning and four months of cheers unleashed by fans wearing championship belts and howling grins.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

At the ceremony in Veracruz, which featured a flyover, President Claudia Sheinbaum paid tribute to the two sailors killed, who were both in their early 20s.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

Trump welcomed Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to the White House with a procession of horses, a flyover of six jet fighters, a Marine band and troops holding ceremonial flags.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

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