Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

airstrip

American  
[air-strip] / ˈɛərˌstrɪp /

noun

  1. a small landing field having only one runway.

  2. a temporary or auxiliary aircraft runway.


airstrip British  
/ ˈɛəˌstrɪp /

noun

  1. Also called: landing strip.  a cleared area for the landing and taking off of aircraft; runway

"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

Etymology

Origin of airstrip

First recorded in 1940–45; air 1 + strip 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Tristan da Cunha, which has a population of 221, has no airstrip and can only be reached by boat.

From BBC May 10, 2026

Israeli forces established a makeshift base using an old airstrip in Iraq early in the war against Iran, two security officials told AFP, confirming a report by the Wall Street Journal.

From Barron's May 10, 2026

SIRTE, Libya—The twin-turboprop plane carved a line down through the sky and touched down at a desert airstrip here near Libya’s Mediterranean coast.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 15, 2026

Kish, westward into the Gulf, has an airstrip.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 2, 2026

The Buffalo landed at an airstrip outside the town.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training