ejection seat

American  

noun

1. an airplane seat that can be ejected with the pilot in an emergency.

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ejection seat British  

noun

1. a seat, esp as fitted to military aircraft, that is fired by a cartridge or rocket to eject the occupant from the aircraft in an emergency

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Etymology

Origin of ejection seat

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Click the trigger and the BlackFly noses down, bringing the pilot to a position more like a gaming chair than an ejection seat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Investigators identified ejection seat failure as a partial cause of an F-16 crash that killed 1st Lt.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024

Defense Department officials said that all F-35 ejection seats were inspected after the Air Force in July 22 temporarily grounded its F-35 fleet over ejection seat concerns.

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023

Over the years, the F-35 has suffered all sorts of problems, including glitches in its $400,000 helmet, ejection seat and engine.

From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2016

An ejection seat is simply the aluminum seat the pilot sits in, with a small rocket motor built into the back of it.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins