UAP

abbreviation or noun

ˌyü-ˌā-ˈpē 

plural UAP or UAPs

: unidentified aerial phenomenon, unidentified anomalous phenomenon

—used especially as an alternative to UFO or unidentified flying object

… UFO has been replaced by UAP. Scientists and government officials are using the new acronym in an attempt to get away from the stigma and assumptions of little green men that persist when people think of UFOs. Until recently, UAP stood for "unidentified aerial phenomena," but last year's National Defense Authorization Act tweaked the term to stand for "unidentified anomalous phenomena," a broader catch-all category.

—Cameron Joseph

UAP—unidentified aerial (or anomalous) phenomenon—is apparently now preferred over UFO, or unidentified flying object. Assertions have been made that people associate "UFO" with alien visitors, whereas the new "UAP" terminology can be more readily associated with additional phenomena, perhaps swamp gas.

—Matthew J. Sharps

Since 2017, my life has been dominated by efforts to help Congress and the public discover the truth about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), what many still refer to as UFOs.

—Christopher Mellon

Yet given the growing public clamor (and congressional clamor, for that matter) for information about UFOs, NASA felt compelled to provide the public with some answers. Consequently on Monday the federal agency launched a new study with 16 members for the purpose of determining the best way for NASA to further study what the scientists refer to as "UAPs" (unidentified aerial phenomena).

—salon.com

Examples of UAP in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The real gold mine would be if the government were to release the first-ever photo or video of a UAP obtained via satellite, said Harvard professor and astrophysicist Avi Loeb. —Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 7 Mar. 2026

Apple’s collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer and Kosinski led the filmmakers to entrust Apple Studios with their next feature, an untitled UAP project. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026

There were more than 750 new UAP sightings between May 2023 and June 2024, according to a government report. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026

In recent years, both the Pentagon and the director of National Intelligence have released annual reports disclosing incident reports of what the Pentagon refers to as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, or UAP's. —Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above