aviation
Americannoun
-
the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.
-
military aircraft.
noun
-
-
the art or science of flying aircraft
-
the design, production, and maintenance of aircraft
-
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Cay
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
November Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
When fully built, it is projected to be the world’s largest aviation hub, carrying more than 260 million passengers a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Civil aviation has increasingly become a target in conflicts playing out across the globe, in part because of the economic impact disrupting transport networks has on a nation’s economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Marco Chan, an aviation expert at Kingston University, told the BBC the threats were "most likely a hoax, but the system is right to treat it as real".
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
The aircraft's captain will have multiple factors to assess, according to former airline pilot Terry Tozer, an aviation safety commentator.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Their work had focused on aviation; after all, airplane cockpits were the place where human beings were most acutely confronted with new technologies, powerful ones that taxed our neurological limitations.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
