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.

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airborne British  

/ ˈɛəˌbɔːn /

adjective

1. conveyed by or through the air

2. (of aircraft) flying; in the air

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Etymology

Origin of airborne

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

Explanation

Something that's airborne is flying through the air. A soaring seagull is airborne, and so is a rock launched from a slingshot. If you've ever tried parachuting from an airplane, you've been airborne, sailing through the sky, and when the plane itself takes off from the runway, it becomes airborne. On a windy day at the beach, people's umbrellas and towels sometimes become airborne. Bourne here is the past tense of bear, or "carry," so when something is airborne, it's carried by the air.

Example Sentences

Rogers' third had the substitutes celebrating on the pitch and an airborne Emery leaping on the touchline with clenched fists.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

Investigators eventually suspected that the bacteria were airborne and had infected people after contaminating the air conditioning system at the convention hotel.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

“Well, tonight I sold my oil. R0 of 2.7 so far. On a ship. Sure. Not airborne, sure. But it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said Campbell.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Humans can be infected with hantavirus by breathing in airborne excrement from some types of rats and mice.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

The boat punched into a wave, and we were airborne.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Related Words

• aerial
• floating
• soaring