flying saucer

American  

noun

flying saucers plural

1. any of various disk-shaped objects allegedly seen flying at high speeds and altitudes, often with extreme changes in speed and direction, and thought by some to be manned by intelligent beings from outer space.

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flying saucer British  

noun

1. any disc-shaped flying object alleged to come from outer space

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flying saucers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flying saucer

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

In a work on paper, a flying saucer shoots neon-orange beams at a nuclear power plant.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Let’s think about the terrifying theremin line that snakes through “Good Vibrations” like it’s tugging a flying saucer down onto Dockweiler Beach.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025

Reports include a flying saucer seen from a guest house, a 7ft alien-like figure coming out of a hedge and a "cigar-shaped" UFO near a schoolyard.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2023

The description was striking – a dark gray cube inside a clear sphere – quite different from the classic "flying saucer."

From Salon • Jul. 28, 2023

Billy saw the war movies backwards then forwards—and then it was time to go out into his backyard to meet the flying saucer.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Related Words

• spaceship