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

The sweptwing, four-jet 707 flashed nonstop 3,038 miles from Seattle to Denver, Los Angeles and back to Seattle.

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

The Israelis have captured, virtually intact, a sweptwing, Soviet-made Sukhoi-7, the basic Soviet tactical attack aircraft.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the Sixth Fleet moved in, a sweptwing, twin jet flew in from the Bulgarian coast, and came down low over the massed invasion fleet.

From Time Magazine Archive

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