UAP
Americanabbreviation
Usage
In 2021, the U.S. government released for the first time an unclassified intelligence assessment of UAP’s (unidentified aerial phenomena). The report avoided use of the older term UFO (unidentified flying object) because of its association with unproven claims of extraterrestrial spacecraft sightings. UAP has been embraced as the official term, as it expresses a neutral position on the associated phenomena that remain an ongoing mystery.
Etymology
Origin of UAP
First recorded in 2000–05
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.
Video of another orb says it shows a spherical UAP zooming over the Yellow Sea in 2022.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The "series of close UAP encounters" lasted for more than an hour, he said.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
It led with “Charlotte mayor scores primary re-election victory amid national backlash over gruesome train murder” and another breaking story: “Hellfire missile bounces off mysterious orb in stunning UAP footage shown to Congress.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025
“We’ve witnessed changes in the field of disclosure in the few years, with the UAP task force and the Pentagon reports. We’re getting the vibe that this is being taken seriously.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024
The move is required by the new records management provisions in the recently enacted 2024 defense policy bill, which establishes a new UAP public repository in the National Archives.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2024
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.
