airframe

[ air-freym ]

/ ˈɛərˌfreɪm /

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noun

the framework and external covering of an airplane, rocket, etc.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of airframe

First recorded in 1930–35; air(plane) + frame

Words nearby airframe

airflow, airfoil, Air Force, Air Force Cross, Air Force One, airframe, airfreight, air freshener, air frost, air-fry, air fryer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use airframe in a sentence

They will likely combat drones by burning through their airframes.
The UK’s solution for enemy drones? Lasers.|Kelsey D. Atherton|October 3, 2021|Popular-Science
Yet it is always possible that the airframe will be beset by problems, that the code required to fly the plane will take years to get right, and that new complications can emerge in the process.
Russia’s new stealth fighter is a bargain worthy of a Bond villain|Rob Verger|July 22, 2021|Popular-Science
Unity’s rocket is limited in size – and therefore in power – by being enclosed in a sleek airframe.
Richard Branson's Big Space D*ck Contest with Bezos is Reckless—and Potentially Deadly|Clive Irving|July 2, 2021|The Daily Beast
“Instead of building an interesting airframe and then trying to figure out how to put the battery into that aircraft, we started with the battery first and put things on top of it,” Kelekona said.
This Drone Bus Will Carry 40 Passengers Between Cities for the Price of a Train Ticket|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|June 10, 2021|Singularity Hub

The impetus behind upgrading Elvis was finding a way to use the helicopter in riskier missions, including forest fire fighting, and expanding what the airframe could do.
Elvis (the helicopter) is cheating death by becoming a drone|Kelsey Atherton|March 17, 2021|Popular-Science
Both a rocket engine with a temperamental record and an airframe of revolutionary design and construction had to be proved safe.
Virgin Galactic’s Flight Path to Disaster: A Clash of High Risk and Hyperbole|Clive Irving|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The physical airframe of a drone is actually very simple and can built without much trouble.
‘Killer Drone’ Is a Lousy Hamas Fake|Dave Majumdar|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tests took place in a 1960s vintage Boeing 727 airframe.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A metal airframe is designed to work as its own lightning conductor.
Did Lightning Bring Down Flight 447?|Clive Irving|June 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for airframe

airframe

/ (ˈɛəˌfreɪm) /

noun

the body of an aircraft, excluding its engines

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