Flight is the act of moving through the air. Birds achieve flight by flapping their wings, creating lift that keeps them airborne. Airplanes use engines and specially shaped wings to generate the same effect. Humans dreamed of flight for thousands of years before the Wright brothers finally figured out how to build a working airplane in 1903.

The word also describes a journey by air. When your family takes a flight to visit relatives, you're traveling on an airplane from one airport to another. Flight attendants work on commercial flights, helping passengers during the trip.

Flight can mean running away from danger or difficulty. A deer takes flight when it hears a predator. Someone might take flight from a difficult conversation by leaving the room suddenly. The phrase fight or flight describes how animals and humans respond to threats: they either stay and confront the danger or run away from it.

A flight of stairs is a series of steps between floors. This meaning comes from the idea of moving upward through space, like a bird climbing through the air. You might climb three flights of stairs to reach an apartment on the fourth floor.