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overflight

American

[oh-ver-flahyt] / ˈoʊ vərˌflaɪt /

noun

an air flight that passes over a specific area, country, or territory.

Overflights of foreign aircraft are closely monitored.

overflight British

/ ˈəʊvəˌflaɪt /

noun

the flight of an aircraft over a specific area or territory

"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 overflight

1590–1600 as pertaining to the flight of birds; 1955–60 for current sense; over- + 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.

The aircraft could be launched from the ships or from nearby Gulf countries, if those partners provide overflight and basing rights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Observers add the UAE appears to have lost military overflight permissions over Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2026

"There were irregularities concerning the overflight authorisations, which was regrettable, and we apologise for this unfortunate incident," Tuggar said on national TV.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Which leads to a critical question: Was this overflight deliberate?

From Slate • Sep. 11, 2025

By the time of our overflight, half or more of what once had been the flourishing land of the Maya was abandoned.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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