fairing

[ fair-ing ]
See synonyms for fairing on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a structure on the exterior of an aircraft or boat, for reducing drag.

  2. a structure, as a rigid, transparent, plastic sheet, at the front of a motorcycle, bicycle, etc., for deflecting wind and rain.

Origin of fairing

1
First recorded in 1910–15; fair1 + -ing1

Words Nearby fairing

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fairing in a sentence

  • Why, you know it is fair day, and you promised Bessie that you would buy her a fairing,—to say nothing of me.

    Lucretia, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
  • When they parted, Burns paid Clark his wages in full, gave him a written character, and a shilling for a fairing.

    Robert Burns | Principal Shairp.
  • The captain's wife began teasing him for a fairing, which he very bluntly refused to bestow.

    Flora Lyndsay | Susanna Moodie
  • One of them kicked out behind, and had nearly given me a blow on the breast, so that I might have said I had had my fairing!

    O. T. | Hans Christian Andersen

British Dictionary definitions for fairing (1 of 2)

fairing1

/ (ˈfɛərɪŋ) /


noun
  1. an external metal structure fitted around parts of an aircraft, car, vessel, etc, to reduce drag: Also called: fillet Compare cowling

Origin of fairing

1
C20: fair 1 + -ing 1

British Dictionary definitions for fairing (2 of 2)

fairing2

/ (ˈfɛərɪŋ) /


noun
  1. archaic a present, esp from a fair

  2. a sweet circular biscuit made with butter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012