aircraft
Americannoun
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aircraft
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of aircraft
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How does aircraft compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A machine that can fly, held aloft in the air, is called an aircraft. Airplanes and helicopters are two types of aircraft. Some aircraft, such as helicopters, fly by using rotary wings — spinning blades that directly generate lift. Airplanes use engines to turn propellers or power gas turbines, providing the thrust needed to move air over their wings and create lift. Still other aircraft, including hot-air balloons, achieve lift through buoyancy, by using gases that are lighter than the surrounding air. Balloons and airships, including blimps and dirigibles, were actually the first vehicles referred to as aircraft, a term adapted from nautical terminology.
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.
The U.S. currently has 19 warships in the waters of the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers and 13 guided-missile destroyers, according to a Navy official.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Search and rescue operations continued on Thursday, involving 18 vessels, five helicopters, two drones and an aircraft, as well as a navy vessel conducting underwater searches.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
The crew of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is preparing to deploy for a longer-than-normal schedule, an official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft since the beginning of the war.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Even with modern instruments, pilots of commercial aircraft today need to be able to see the runway before they can land, even if they’ve been flying in cloud nearly to the ground.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions 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.
