helicopter
Americannoun
-
helicopters
plural
verb (used without object)
-
helicopters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
helicoptered,
past participle, past
-
helicoptering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
helicopters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
helicoptered,
past participle, past
-
helicoptering
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
helicoptersimple
-
helicopterssimple
-
have helicopteredperfect
-
has helicopteredperfect
-
am helicopteringprogressive
-
are helicopteringprogressive
-
is helicopteringprogressive
-
have been helicopteringperfect progressive
-
has been helicopteringperfect progressive
Past
-
helicopteredsimple
-
had helicopteredperfect
-
was helicopteringprogressive
-
were helicopteringprogressive
-
had been helicopteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of helicopter
From the French word hélicoptère, dating back to 1885–90. See helico-, -pter
Explanation
A helicopter is a flying vehicle with a system of rotors that lift and propel it. In some cities, police officers patrol in helicopters. In some suburbs, wealthy people even commute by helicopter. Like airplanes, helicopters travel through the air — but unlike airplanes, they don't have wings. Most helicopters have a large rotor blade on top that creates lift by spinning rapidly. Smaller rotors help the helicopter move and steer. Hospitals use helicopters for transporting patients in crisis, for whom an ambulance might not move fast enough. The word comes from Greek roots, helix, "spiral," and pteron, "wing."
Vocabulary lists containing helicopter
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The bus driver and one passenger were severely injured and evacuated by helicopter.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“The FAA is aware of and looking into an incident involving a medical helicopter that departed from Catalina Island shortly before a different helicopter that crashed,” the agency said in a statement to The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Federal authorities are investigating a second medical evacuation helicopter incident near Catalina Island that occurred just moments before a separate fatal crash claimed the lives of three on board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
The hackers tracked a Russian military helicopter to a location near a local airport where they discovered a previously unknown Russian air base.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
As he turned the helicopter toward safety, Cairns paused to listen to his radio.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said his city has been preparing ahead of fire season, deploying goats to chomp at brush on hillsides and ensuring a steady water supply is available for crews and helicopters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The fast-moving blaze prompted widespread evacuation orders as multiple helicopters vied to douse the flames.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
The hackers were able to rotate and zoom the camera, allowing them to monitor Russian helicopters, submarines and ships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The department deployed numerous fire engines, bulldozers, four helicopters, two air tankers and two “super scooper” aircrafts, Katon said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
News helicopters buzzed above the choppy waters as the men set out in their canoe.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Mass opposition and a coup briefly deposed him, but after three days under guard on a military island, he helicoptered back to Caracas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
Instead, they recommended that Nusslock be helicoptered to UC San Francisco for an abortion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024
On the couple’s 10-year anniversary, they helicoptered to the emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island, then to a tubular iceberg where the client finally proposed.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
The British-Thai driver was helicoptered to Coventry hospital but released later on Sunday evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2022
On Thursday, May 16, we were helicoptered from Pheriche to the village of Syangboche, just above Namche Bazaar.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
While the Kraken carefully monitored this summer’s No. 4 overall pick, Shane Wright, in camp to ensure he felt comfortable and not overburdened, there wasn’t quite the same helicoptering with Beniers.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
He tumbled out of bounds at nearly 60 miles per hour, his skis helicoptering into the netting on one side of the slope.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2021
“Your moral stature is actually enhanced the more persecuted you are or want to be. It’s a generation of overparenting, protecting children from every conceivable harm, helicoptering over them and infantilizing them.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 18, 2021
Or in a game this season against Denver, when he lunged toward the goal line, absorbing multiple hits to the chest and helmet before helicoptering into the end zone.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2020
A few fall, helicoptering down to the forest floor.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
