aircraft

American  

[air-kraft, -krahft] / ˈɛərˌkræft, -ˌkrɑft /

noun

plural

aircraft

1. any machine supported for flight in the air by buoyancy or by the dynamic action of air on its surfaces, especially powered airplanes, gliders, and helicopters.

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aircraft British  

/ ˈɛəˌkrɑːft /

noun

1. any machine capable of flying by means of buoyancy or aerodynamic forces, such as a glider, helicopter, or aeroplane

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Etymology

Origin of aircraft

First recorded in 1840–50; air ¹ + craft

Compare meaning

How does aircraft compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• aircraft vs. airplane

Example Sentences

Rare earths are used in high-performance permanent magnets needed for aircraft, electric vehicles, medical-imaging machines and many other technologies.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Ministry of Defence said the US asked the UK for assistance, and that RAF surveillance aircraft and a Royal Navy support ship RFA Tideforce took part in the operation.

From BBC

Upon landing, the flight attendant’s voice rang over the intercom to give us the usual spiel as our aircraft made its way to the jet bridge.

From Salon

At one point two Russian aircraft flew over a Coast Guard vessel trailing the tanker.

From The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. recently moved the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford and its strike group from the Mediterranean to Latin America, leaving no aircraft carrier in either the Middle East or Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• airliner
• balloon
• chopper
• helicopter
• jet