flying saucer

American  

noun

flying saucers plural

1. any of various disk-shaped objects allegedly seen flying at high speeds and altitudes, often with extreme changes in speed and direction, and thought by some to be manned by intelligent beings from outer space.

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flying saucer British  

noun

1. any disc-shaped flying object alleged to come from outer space

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flying saucers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flying saucer

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flying saucer

In a work on paper, a flying saucer shoots neon-orange beams at a nuclear power plant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

For all its deeper thoughts, “Fargo” is a cartoon at heart, with exaggerated characters in extreme situations, and a willingness — as with Season 3’s flying saucer — to get weird.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

A flying saucer seen by a guest house, a 7ft alien-like figure coming out of a hedge and a "cigar-shaped" UFO near a school yard.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2023

In 1980, a popular book called "The Roswell Incident" by Charles Berlitz and William L. Moore described an alleged flying saucer crash and government cover-up 33 years prior near Roswell, New Mexico.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2023

Just for a laugh, I imagine him landing in our tiny front yard, maybe in a personal-size flying saucer, which would probably just fill the center circle of a basketball court.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

Related Words

• spaceship