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Synonyms

airborne

American  
[air-bawrn, -bohrn] / ˈɛərˌbɔrn, -ˌboʊrn /

adjective

  1. carried by the air, as pollen or dust.

  2. in flight; aloft.

    The plane was airborne by six o'clock.

  3. Military. (of ground forces) carried in airplanes or gliders: abn

    airborne infantry.

  4. Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) supported entirely by the atmosphere; flying.

airborne British  
/ ˈɛəˌbɔːn /

adjective

  1. conveyed by or through the air

  2. (of aircraft) flying; in the air

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of airborne

First recorded in 1635–45; air 1 + borne 1

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.

There appear to be three routes for US forces wishing to seize the island -– an airborne attack; an amphibious operation; or a combination of the two.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Using this we checked flight-tracking site Flightradar24 which showed it was airborne near the base on 18 March.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

On Tuesday, however, oil prices recouped much of those losses following reports that the Pentagon plans to deploy an airborne Army unit to the Middle East.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Dr. Tom Jordan, lead author and geophysicist at BAS, analyzed the airborne data.

From Science Daily • Mar. 18, 2026

Xan couldn’t stay that way—she just didn’t have enough magic—but she and the child could stay airborne over at least the next two ridges.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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.