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

This enables the bombers to act like airborne missile launchers and is much safer and cheaper, comparatively. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 9 May 2026

And supporters are left to fill the silence with speculation, chants and, now, airborne protest banners. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026

Ingenuity was a resounding success, becoming the first airborne platform to explore another world. —ArsTechnica, 8 May 2026

Mold is a fungus that spreads through microscopic airborne spores. —Ryan Brennan may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 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