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Glite Dictionary
to overfly

to overfly

2 7.9
To fly over a place in a plane
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈflaɪ/
translation icon : sobrevolar
  • We plan to overfly the mountains to get a better view of the landscape.
  • overfly territory
  • overfly the area
  • planes to overfly

Examples

  • The Saudis have already given Israel tacit permission to overfly their airspace.

    Blog text (2)

  • Finally, she had to stop and wait for the satellites to overfly.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • By morning, we will be overflying Africa.

    Academic text (2001)

  • The US drones were used to overfly heavily defended targets, take a few photos, and hope to get out without being shot down.

    Blog text (30)

  • You'd have to overfly South African territory, and they demand that all planes land in South Africa before going on.

    Cry Freedom (1987)

  • I think the crew made a good decision in overflying Punta del Rey because there are no emergency services there.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Alaska Fish and Wildlife restricted fishing in the Inlet to the hours between seven and four during silver season and enforced the ruling by sending officers in small planes to overfly the beach in unpredictable patterns.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The airplane will overfly the city before landing at the airport.

  • During the flight, the pilot said we would overfly several national parks.

Synonyms

to fly over
vsto overfly
102 3.1

To move through the air above a place, for example a plane or bird

is specific to aircraft moving above a place
to pass over
vsto overfly
26 3.3

To move across a place, often above the ground

is specific to aircraft moving above a place rather than general movement
to fly by
vsto overfly
16 2.2

To move past something while in the air

is about aircraft moving above a place rather than passing beside it

Antonyms

to land
∞ 1.0

To come down and rest on a surface

Surface Forms

overfly infinitive
overflying present participle
overflies third person singular
overflew past
overflown past participle

Morphology

overfly = fly (transparent) = over + fly

The verb is a straightforward combination of the productive prefix 'over-' and 'fly', meaning to fly over a place.

Etymology

Overfly is made of over- ('above') and fly ('move through the air'), so it gives the picture of going above a place by air. That's why to overfly an area means to fly over it, as when a plane passes above a town or stadium.