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preflight

American

[pree-flahyt] / priˈflaɪt /

adjective

occurring or done before a flight.

a preflight briefing of the plane's crew.

noun

a preflight briefing or a ground check, as of an airplane.

preflight British

/ ˈpriːˈflaɪt /

adjective

of or relating to the period just prior to a plane taking off

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of preflight

First recorded in 1920–25; pre- + flight ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As she had done many times in the simulator, Alesna walked me through the preflight checklist.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

However, during the months after returning to Earth, the length of his telomeres were discovered to be critically shorter than his preflight levels.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024

The soleus also showed a decrease in stiffness compared to preflight, but it did increase gradually over time on the ISS.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

After a two-hour wait, due mostly to preflight inspections that are usually done ahead of time, the airplane left for Seattle at 3:30 a.m.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Beside the runway, Tibbets walked around the Enola Gay, making the final preflight checks.

From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023