(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.
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
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
“Despechá” — abbreviated slang for spiteful — is a lighter-than-air, mambo-nodding dance-floor anthem, and an invitation to join the ranks of the Motomamis.
From New York Times • Dec. 7, 2022
Boland — who had over 11,000 hours piloting balloons — was a forerunner of experimental lighter-than-air balloon building.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2021
The lighter-than-air craft, which belonged first to the army and then to the navy, were a valuable link between the two wings.
From The War in the Air; Vol. 1 The Part played in the Great War by the Royal Air Force by Raleigh, Walter Alexander, Sir
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.
