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

When Franyelis Parra arrived at an airport check-in counter just before midnight with her two children in tow, she believed she might finally be able to leave the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

They’ve terraformed the desert terrain by planting trees, building houses, and even constructing a Walmart and an airport.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

In El Alto, a predominantly Indigenous suburb of La Paz and a hotbed of dissent, demonstrators briefly blocked access to the city's main international airport.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

It was barely noon, but I’d already flown halfway across the country on an early flight to visit my parents for the holidays, and spent two hours in a rental car driving from the airport.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Cat wanted to flop down and cry, like Chicken had at the airport.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

Related Words

• airfield
• airstrip
• installation
• runway