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

It’s the latest concept from a husband-and-wife team on a mission to amp up airport downtime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Emma and Jordan Walbridge, with backgrounds in hotels and medical-device sales, respectively, opened their first airport videogaming lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 2018.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

A small plane from local carrier Golden Bay Air tipped onto its side in the wind while parked at the airport with no-one aboard.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Maybe it’s the airport gate before a long-planned vacation.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

In the morning they drove to the airport.

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

Related Words

• airfield
• airstrip
• installation
• runway