aerial photograph

American  

noun

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

---

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

An aerial photograph of the vessel released by the coast guard showed scores of people covering practically every inch of deck.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2023

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

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy