airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈer-ˌbȯrn 

1

: done or being in the air : being off the ground: such as

a

: carried through the air (as by an aircraft)

b

: supported especially by aerodynamic forces or propelled through the air by force

a plane becoming airborne

c

: transported or carried by the air

airborne allergens

2

: trained for deployment by air and especially by parachute

airborne troops

Examples of airborne in a Sentence

Once the plane was airborne I loosened my seat belt.

Thousands of airborne troops parachuted behind enemy lines.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the time of the mishap, some E/A-18 Growlers were transitioning to a new type of software meant to help them to conduct airborne electronic warfare, mostly to protect aircraft carriers from enemy attacks. —Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell said the hospital was equipped and staffed to manage airborne illnesses like measles. —Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 25 Feb. 2026

During its operational years, airborne radioactive releases traveled up through the stack. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026

An army extraction team landed in a helicopter, picked up Oseguera and his two sicarios and was airborne within minutes, according to a person familiar with the operation. —Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for airborne

• adorn
• blackthorn
• broomcorn
• buckhorn
• buckthorn
• careworn
• firstborn
• foodborne
• forborne
• forewarn
• forlorn
• forsworn

Kids Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne ˈa(ə)r-ˌbōrn 

-ˌbȯrn, 

ˈe(ə)r-

: supported or transported by air

airborne troops

Medical Definition

airborne

adjective

air·​borne -ˌbōrn 

: carried or transported by the air

airborne allergens

airborne bacteria