preflight

American  

[pree-flahyt] / priˈflaɪt /

adjective

1. occurring or done before a flight.

   a preflight briefing of the plane's crew.

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noun

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

preflight British  

/ ˈpriːˈflaɪt /

adjective

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

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Etymology

Origin of preflight

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

Example Sentences

It’s a cozy place to grab complimentary preflight food and drinks and relax away from the gate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

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

With that as my only preflight instruction, I made my way to the bright red, 25-seat, open-sided TMZ tour bus.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 16, 2023

During preflight check, when the DynamicSource message comes in, the first officer reads each data point aloud and the captain verbally verifies each one.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2023

I slid the canopy shut and began to run through the familiar preflight checks.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein