lighter-than-air
Americanadjective
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(of an aircraft) weighing less than the air it displaces, hence obtaining lift from aerostatic buoyancy.
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of or relating to lighter-than-air craft.
adjective
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having a lower density than that of air
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of or relating to an aircraft, such as a balloon or airship, that depends on buoyancy for support in the air
Etymology
Origin of lighter-than-air
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
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
ZeroAvia instead chose fuel cells, which are essentially a chemical battery that substitutes lighter-than-air hydrogen for the weighty lithium ion.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2021
“Mr. Wilbur’s lighter-than-air verse upholds the idiom and letter of Moliere, yet it also satisfies the demands of the stage.”
From Washington Times • Oct. 15, 2017
Dominick, however, wished more than I did to see his lighter-than-air craft in all its glory.
From Life's Minor Collisions by Warner, Frances Lester
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.
