(of an aircraft) weighing less than the air it displaces, hence obtaining lift from aerostatic buoyancy.
of or relating to lighter-than-air craft.
having a lower density than that of air
of or relating to an aircraft, such as a balloon or airship, that depends on buoyancy for support in the air
First recorded in 1900–05
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a debut, Mr. Miyake gave a more silken and nuanced portrayal, shaping his lighter-than-air moments of elevation with turns to give his character an ardent and flourished sweep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
For one thing, the ship gets its lift from helium – a lighter-than-air gas that does not burn.
From NewsForKids.net ● Dec. 7, 2023
At the time, the Navy used lighter-than-air ships for patrol and antisubmarine defense.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
Its balloon program could collapse if the United States decides to notify other countries when lighter-than-air vehicles are heading their way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2023
Both the lighter-than-air and the heavier than-air craft possess distinctive features and varying degrees of mobility.
From Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Talbot, Frederick Arthur Ambrose
Yet here Dylan reached back to before that epochal shift with loving covers of late-’50s classics like Chuck Berry’s “Little Queenie” and the Fleetwoods’ “Mr. Blue,” the latter of which felt lighter than air.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2024
Hydrogen is lighter than air and rises upward.
From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
Airships Unlike planes, airships fly because they are full of gas that is lighter than air.
From NewsForKids.net ● Dec. 7, 2023
In addition to being lighter than air, helium is staunchly unreactive, making it useful for manufacturing sensitive products such as computer chips.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 5, 2023
Cakes layered to impossible heights, pastries lighter than air.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
