helicopter
Americannoun
-
helicopters
plural
verb (used without object)
-
helicopters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
helicoptered,
past participle, past
-
helicoptering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
helicopters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
helicoptered,
past participle, past
-
helicoptering
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
helicoptersimple
-
helicopterssimple
-
have helicopteredperfect
-
has helicopteredperfect
-
am helicopteringprogressive
-
are helicopteringprogressive
-
is helicopteringprogressive
-
have been helicopteringperfect progressive
-
has been helicopteringperfect progressive
Past
-
helicopteredsimple
-
had helicopteredperfect
-
was helicopteringprogressive
-
were helicopteringprogressive
-
had been helicopteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of helicopter
From the French word hélicoptère, dating back to 1885–90. See helico-, -pter
Explanation
A helicopter is a flying vehicle with a system of rotors that lift and propel it. In some cities, police officers patrol in helicopters. In some suburbs, wealthy people even commute by helicopter. Like airplanes, helicopters travel through the air — but unlike airplanes, they don't have wings. Most helicopters have a large rotor blade on top that creates lift by spinning rapidly. Smaller rotors help the helicopter move and steer. Hospitals use helicopters for transporting patients in crisis, for whom an ambulance might not move fast enough. The word comes from Greek roots, helix, "spiral," and pteron, "wing."
Vocabulary lists containing helicopter
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:
It also confirmed that "advanced critical care" was delivered by the emergency medical retrieval and transfer service, which arrived by helicopter, before the patient was driven to hospital.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
During the night, a helicopter flew over the French capital's Place de la Republique, one of the epicentres of the unrest, sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square to monitor compliance with the curfew.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Another defector, Russian army pilot Maksim Kuzminov, had flown his Mi-8 attack helicopter into Ukraine the previous year and turned it over to Kyiv for a $500,000 reward.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Those who were pulled from the water were flown by helicopter to San Diego, where they were taken via ambulance to local hospitals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Abby screamed, but the helicopter had already flown on.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
That is 10,000 more than last weekend, backed by about 20 armored vehicles, 15 water cannons, helicopters and drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The Saudis rely on fractious militias loyal to the Riyadh-backed Yemeni government to wage the ground fight, while Saudi fighters and attack helicopters provide air support.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler said his city has been preparing ahead of fire season, deploying goats to chomp at brush on hillsides and ensuring a steady water supply is available for crews and helicopters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The fast-moving blaze prompted widespread evacuation orders as multiple helicopters vied to douse the flames.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
The helicopters had to fly too far above the reactor buildings, and the strong March winds carried most of the water they dropped—about 6,000 pounds in all—away from their targets.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Mass opposition and a coup briefly deposed him, but after three days under guard on a military island, he helicoptered back to Caracas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
Instead, they recommended that Nusslock be helicoptered to UC San Francisco for an abortion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2024
I could not see anything and I was helicoptered out, before spending two weeks in a coma in an army hospital in Kabul.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2024
On the couple’s 10-year anniversary, they helicoptered to the emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill Island, then to a tubular iceberg where the client finally proposed.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2023
Jedda-Boy was talking about how once when he lived in Nevada, he got helicoptered to a secret location to measure some land.
From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata
Wainschel, a vice president at an automotive marketing technology company, says he doesn’t think his outreach qualifies as helicoptering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The priciest dish on the menu tastes like roast beef with a little helicoptering from ginger and turmeric.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
He tumbled out of bounds at nearly 60 miles per hour, his skis helicoptering into the netting on one side of the slope.
From New York Times ● Dec. 5, 2021
“Your moral stature is actually enhanced the more persecuted you are or want to be. It’s a generation of overparenting, protecting children from every conceivable harm, helicoptering over them and infantilizing them.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 18, 2021
A few fall, helicoptering down to the forest floor.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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