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

See Examples For:

free flight

As well as suiting her needs, the aviary was also designed to give the flock more space and more opportunities for free flight.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

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

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

From Science Daily ● Mar. 8, 2024

The practice has its critics, who argue that free flight exposes pet birds to dangers including predators, power lines and bad weather.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2023

The point of a wind tunnel, of course, was to simulate as closely as possible the conditions that prevailed in free flight.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly