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Glite Dictionary
🛫 Safety check 🛫 To check before use 🛫 Before takeoff 🖨️ File check
to preflight

to preflight

1 4.9
To check a plane, system, or file before use
  • verb
  • /ˈpriːflaɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : realizar el prevuelo
  • The pilot needs to preflight the aircraft to ensure it is safe for takeoff.

Examples

  • It must be cleaned, preflighted and armed.

    Firefox (1982)

  • Yes, he's out preflighting the plane.

    Hardflip (2012)

  • But I'll just sort of preflight it for you and give you an idea of just how versatile this machine is.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Preflight complete.

    Spider-Man (2002)

  • "I'll preflight."

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Before the presentation, she will preflight the slides to check for any errors.

  • After the preflight checks, the crew confirmed that everything was ready for departure.

Synonyms

to pretest
vsto preflight
1 3.9

To test something before its main use to find problems and make sure it works

focuses on checks done before using or publishing technical systems or files
to prescreening
vsto preflight
3.9

To check people or things to see if they meet rules before a final decision

is about practical tests aiming to make sure systems work before use or publishing

How Thorough

to overhaul
35 4.6
to preflight
  • Specialized
1 4.9
to inspect
202 2.5
to check
∞ 1.0
to glance at
150 2.0

Surface Forms

preflight infinitive
preflighted past
preflighted past participle
preflighting present participle
preflights third person singular

Morphology

preflight = preflight (semi-transparent) = pre + flight

The prefix pre- plus flight makes the original 'before flight' sense fairly clear, but the verb has a specialized extended meaning for checking aircraft, systems, or files before use.

Etymology

Preflight as a verb means to perform those checks; it comes from pre- 'before' and flight 'a trip by air', so to preflight something is to check an aircraft, system, or file before use or release.