airport

¹ American  

[air-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈɛərˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. a tract of land or water with facilities for the landing, takeoff, shelter, supply, and repair of aircraft, especially one used for receiving or discharging passengers and cargo at regularly scheduled times.

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airport ² American  

[air-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈɛərˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

Nautical.

1. a porthole designed to be opened to the outside air.

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airport British  

/ ˈɛəˌpɔːt /

noun

1. a landing and taking-off area for civil aircraft, usually with surfaced runways and aircraft maintenance and passenger facilities

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Etymology

Origin of airport¹

1915–20; air ¹ + port ¹, on the model of seaport

Origin of airport²

First recorded in 1780–90; air ¹ + port ⁴

Example Sentences

Tusk has made clear that the airport is not closed to Zelensky: "I am not going to tell him where and how to fly."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

At first glance, it looks like a neon-lit airport sundry store with a refrigerator case of soft drinks, water, beer and seltzer and rows of candy and salty snacks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Mexico is still rushing to complete renovations at subway stations and at its main airport ahead of the tournament.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Maybe it’s the airport gate before a long-planned vacation.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

Galina Burdina flew as a civilian pilot for Aeroflot for fifteen years before joining air traffic control; her friend Tamara Pamyatnykh became an air traffic controller at a civilian airport.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• airfield
• airstrip
• installation
• runway