airport

¹ American  

[air-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈɛərˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

1. a tract of land or water with facilities for the landing, takeoff, shelter, supply, and repair of aircraft, especially one used for receiving or discharging passengers and cargo at regularly scheduled times.

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airport ² American  

[air-pawrt, -pohrt] / ˈɛərˌpɔrt, -ˌpoʊrt /

noun

Nautical.

1. a porthole designed to be opened to the outside air.

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airport British  

/ ˈɛəˌpɔːt /

noun

1. a landing and taking-off area for civil aircraft, usually with surfaced runways and aircraft maintenance and passenger facilities

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Etymology

Origin of airport¹

1915–20; air ¹ + port ¹, on the model of seaport

Origin of airport²

First recorded in 1780–90; air ¹ + port ⁴

Example Sentences

The airport in North Kivu's provincial capital Goma, which once helped funnel urgently needed aid into the eastern DRC by air, has been shut since the M23 seized the city in January 2025.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

A plane carrying nine West African migrants landed at Sierra Leone's international airport, just outside the capital, Freetown, on Wednesday morning.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

U.S. troops and military assets that would be needed are still stationed in Israel, including dozens of American tankers parked at Ben Gurion international airport and military air bases in southern Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

“So, I remember driving from the airport to Sunset Boulevard, where my hotel was, and I didn’t understand anything. But immediately it was the connection with the orchestra.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

The men drove to the airport to catch the red-eye back to Washington.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• airfield
• airstrip
• installation
• runway