wind tunnel

American  

[wind] / wɪnd /

noun

Aeronautics.

1. a tubular chamber or structure in which a steady current of air can be maintained at a controlled velocity, equipped with devices for measuring and recording forces and moments on scale models of complete aircraft or of their parts or, sometimes, on full-scale aircraft or their parts.

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wind tunnel British  

/ wɪnd /

noun

1. a chamber for testing the aerodynamic properties of aircraft, aerofoils, etc, in which a current of air can be maintained at a constant velocity

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wind tunnel Scientific  

1. A chamber through which air is blown at controlled speeds to simulate the motion of objects placed in the chamber through the air, used to study the aerodynamic properties of objects such as automobiles, airplanes, and missiles.

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Etymology

Origin of wind tunnel

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

That geography turns the valley into a natural wind tunnel.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026

A brand new factory, including a state-of-the-art wind tunnel and driver-in-the-loop simulator.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

It is the force that builds the wind tunnel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

He also created a tiny wind tunnel for some of the experiments, so that the physicists could analyze the role of ambient breeze in the worm's target success rate.

From Science Daily • Oct. 15, 2025

His eyes were milky blue, one higher than the other, and though he smiled, he didn’t look friendly—more like his face was being peeled back in a wind tunnel.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan