sweptwing

American

[swept-wing] / ˈswɛptˌwɪŋ /

adjective

Aeronautics.

(of an aircraft, winged missile, etc.) having sweptback wings.

sweptwing British

/ ˈswɛptˌwɪŋ /

adjective

(of an aircraft, winged missile, etc) having wings swept (usually) backwards

"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

Etymology

Origin of sweptwing

swept(back) + wing

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.

Of the roughly 750 B-52’s originally built, the Air Force is still flying about 75 of the sweptwing, eight-engine H-model planes.

From New York Times • Dec. 11, 2017

But this dodge has its disadvantages too: at the speeds of landing and takeoff, sweptwing ships are hard to handle.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was an intense, high-pitched roar from the twin jets as the sweptwing, silver-and-blue plane rolled to a stop.

From Time Magazine Archive

Helicopters beat low over Havana, and Russian-built MIG-19 sweptwing jets sent sonic booms thundering down the capital's seafront Malecon Drive.

From Time Magazine Archive

How can a big sweptwing jet stay in the air and maneuver safely at such low speeds?

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023