angle of attack

noun

1. especially British, angle of incidence. Aeronautics.,  the acute angle between the chord of an aircraft wing or other airfoil and the direction of the relative wind.

2. Railroads.,  the angular attitude of a wheel flange to the rail, especially on curves.

angle of attack

noun

1. Also called: angle of incidence. the acute angle between the chord line of an aerofoil and the undisturbed relative airflow

Word History and Origins

Origin of angle of attack¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

"It just gives you another angle of attack, as otherwise you run out of ways he can say the wrong thing or lose his temper with someone."

Read more on BBC

They discovered that the corrugated wing performance was better when the angle of attack, that angle at which the wind meets the wing, was greater than 30°.

Read more on Science Daily

But this affected the aerodynamic characteristics of the airplane, causing the nose to pitch up at high angle of attack at high airspeed.

Read more on Salon

Simulations revealed that the TE fringes reduced the noise levels of owl wings, particularly at high angles of attack, and maintained aerodynamic performance comparable to owl wings without fringes.

Read more on Science Daily

Alice's attorneys used a novel angle of attack called a Product Liability lawsuit, arguing that the site was defective in its design.

Read more on BBC