free flight

American  

noun

1. unassisted or unconstrained flight, as the flight of a rocket or missile without guidance or after fuel exhaustion or motor cutoff.

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free flight British  

noun

1. the flight of a rocket, missile, etc, when its engine has ceased to produce thrust

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Etymology

Origin of free flight

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

JetBlue didn’t appear to respond on a woman’s post claiming it had failed to deliver a promised free flight to Italy after her original booking was canceled, even as comments like “ewwww” accumulated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

It is not unheard of for Australian politicians to get free flight upgrades though they are required to declare such gifts, according to Reuters.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024

This is the first study relating to the behavior of blood in free flight.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2024

“How dare you promote free flight without transmitters? I have every right to use them.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2023

I didn’t know how long I had been concerned with the hawks free flight.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya