aviation
Americannoun
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the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.
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military aircraft.
noun
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the art or science of flying aircraft
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the design, production, and maintenance of aircraft
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military aircraft collectively
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aviation
From French, dating back to 1865–70; see origin at avi-, -ation
Explanation
If it has to do with flying or operating a plane, it has to do with aviation. If someone tells you that he's in aviation school, that means he is learning how to fly a plane. Aviation comes from the Latin avis meaning "bird," an appropriate translation given that aviation deals with travel by air, specifically in a plane. The aviation industry is the business sector dedicated to manufacturing and operating all types of aircraft. Air traffic controllers, when they are awake, are concerned with aviation safety.
Vocabulary lists containing aviation
Flying High: Aviation Words
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The Cay
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November Words
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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.
The race to bring air travel to the sky is heating up as Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation and Toyota launch a joint venture to commercially produce air taxis.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
A Russian Pantsir missile-defense system, for instance, can engage no more than four targets simultaneously, said Valery Romanenko, a former Ukrainian air-defense officer and a researcher at Kyiv’s National Aviation University.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Menzies Aviation previously said that the company's pay deals had "consistently increased above inflation" in recent years, and that it had remained hopeful of coming to an amicable resolution with Unite.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
Seven federal agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration — committed significant resources and manpower.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
Back at Engels, late in the summer of 1942, the new Pe-2 dive-bombers that Marina had ordered for the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment finally arrived.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
