aerial photograph

American  

noun

1. a photograph taken from an aircraft or satellite in flight.

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Other Word Forms

• aerial photography noun

Etymology

Origin of aerial photograph

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Looking down into the atrium outside his office, you see a large carpet woven to look like an aerial photograph of bomb-ravaged Berlin at the end of World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

The short stretch of track and the depot buildings are visible in a 1948 aerial photograph and are described in archive interviews with locals Mattie Fairnington and Maurice Hardy who were teenagers during the war.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2025

An aerial photograph of the vessel before it sank, released by Greek authorities, showed people crammed on the deck.

From Washington Times • Jun. 15, 2023

Diefenbaker acknowledged the bunker’s purpose after the aerial photograph appeared and vowed that he would never visit it and would stay home with his wife if the bombers and missiles came.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 29, 2023

He stared at him as if he were studying the shadows of an aerial photograph.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy