aircraft
Americannoun
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.
After reentering the atmosphere, it would glide on wings before being captured in mid air by a large subsonic aircraft.
From Science Daily • Jul. 11, 2026
Around 500 firefighters backed by over 20 water-dropping aircraft were batttling the blaze which erupted Thursday in the Gallardos area of the southern region of Andalusia, home to many foreign residents.
From Barron's • Jul. 11, 2026
The Irish budget airline added that "a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen" several hours later.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
A lack of defensive capabilities aboard the new aircraft prompted the switch for his flight home from Turkey this week, according to U.S. officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
The Allies, after much trial and error, learned to use their tanks effectively in coordination with artillery barrages, infantry assaults, and—toward the end of the war—attacks by low-flying aircraft.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
