flight
gb/flˈaɪt/ us/flˈaɪt/
A2
English
~ 1600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
action
1
Travel by airplane
When a person or thing goes through the air in a plane or other aircraft.
Usage pattern:
to take [a/the] flight to [place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flight' with 'fly'; 'flight' is the noun form, 'fly' is the verb.
Synonyms
air travel (General term for transportation by aircraft, not limited to a single trip.)
Antonyms
ground travel (Travel that takes place on land, not in the air.)
Collocations
book a flight
|cancel a flight
|domestic flight
|international flight
|miss a flight
Themes
travel
|transportation
|daily life
Examples
- Our flight to Paris was delayed by two hours.
- She booked a flight to New York for next week.
- This flight will take approximately three hours.
- The airline offers direct flights to over 50 cities.
- He missed his morning flight because of traffic.
Learner examples
- I have a flight to London tomorrow.
- The flight is very long.
- We will take a flight at 8 p.m.
- My flight is late.
- They are waiting for their flight.
Noun
B1
action
2
Movement through the air
When something moves through the air without touching the ground.
Synonyms
airborne motion (Technical description of movement in the air.)
Antonyms
landing (The act of coming down to the ground from the air.)
Collocations
take flight
|in full flight
|flight path
Themes
nature
|science
|animals
Examples
- The eagle’s flight was graceful and powerful.
- The ball’s flight was interrupted by a tree branch.
- Scientists studied the flight of honeybees.
Learner examples
- The bird is in flight.
- The ball is in flight now.
- We watched the plane’s flight.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Set of stairs between landings
A group of stairs from one floor to another floor or level.
Synonyms
staircase section (Refers specifically to one portion of stairs between landings.)
Antonyms
elevator ride (An alternative to moving between levels without stairs.)
Collocations
flight of stairs
|climb a flight
Themes
architecture
|daily life
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She ran up two flights of stairs to reach her apartment.
- The office is up one flight from here.
- They carried the boxes down three flights of stairs.
Learner examples
- My room is up one flight of stairs.
- We went down two flights of stairs.
- He walked up a flight of stairs.
Noun
B2
action
4
Act of escaping quickly
When someone runs away from danger or trouble quickly.
Synonyms
escape (General word for getting away from danger; not limited to quick movement.)
Antonyms
capture (The act of catching someone who tried to escape.)
Collocations
flight from justice
|take flight
Themes
emergencies
|crime
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The prisoners took flight when the guards were distracted.
- His sudden flight from the city surprised everyone.
- They were in full flight when the police arrived.
Learner examples
- The man took flight when he saw the police.
- She made a quick flight from the house.
- They were in flight from danger.
Noun
B2
entity
5
Group of animals in air together
A group of animals flying together in the sky.
Synonyms
flock (in air) ('Flock' is more common for birds; 'flight' is more formal or specific.)
Collocations
flight of geese
|flight formation
Themes
nature
|animals
Examples
- We saw a large flight of geese heading south for winter.
- A sudden flight of bats emerged from the cave at dusk.
- There was a beautiful flight of butterflies over the meadow.
Learner examples
- A flight of birds flew over us.
- We saw a flight of bats at night.
- There is a big flight of geese.
Grammar
Dictionary form
flight
IPA
GB/flˈaɪt/
US/flˈaɪt/
Syllables & stress
flight (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (flight)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: flight
- Plural: flight, flights
Word family
Expressions
catch a flight
1/kˈæt͡ʃ ə flˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
Board an airplane before departure
To get on an airplane before it leaves to go somewhere.
Examples
- I need to leave now if I’m going to catch my flight.
- She barely caught her flight after rushing through security.
miss a flight
1/mˈɪs ə flˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
Fail to board airplane before departure
To be too late to get on your airplane before it leaves.
Examples
- We missed our flight because of traffic jams.
- He missed his flight and had to wait for the next one.
take flight
1/tˈeɪk flˈaɪt/
idiom
Start flying or escape suddenly
To start flying into the air, or to run away quickly from danger or fear.
Examples
- The birds took flight as soon as we approached.
- The thieves took flight when they heard the alarm.
flight attendant
1/flˈaɪt ətˈɛndənt/
fixed phrase
Aircraft cabin crew member
A person who helps passengers on an airplane during a trip.
Examples
- The flight attendant offered me some water.
- The flight attendant demonstrated how to use the life jacket.
- Flight attendants are trained to handle emergencies on board.
- If you need anything, just ask a flight attendant.
- Flight attendants walked down the aisle serving drinks.
flight of fancy
1/flˈaɪt əv fˈænsi/
idiom
Unrealistic imaginative idea
An idea or thought that is very imaginative but not realistic.
Examples
- Her plan to build a city on Mars was dismissed as a mere flight of fancy.
- The plan was dismissed as a mere flight of fancy.
- He often indulges in flights of fancy during long meetings.
- His novels mix fact with flights of fancy.
- Her theory is interesting, but it may be just a flight of fancy.