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

Use microfiber cloths—preferably slightly damp ones—to attract and trap dust, rather than just pushing it around or sending it airborne. —Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026

The Russian Defense Ministry denied launching any strikes with missiles or other airborne weapons on Kharkiv on Friday and suggested, without offering evidence, that the damage could have been caused by the detonation of ammunition at a weapons depot. —Illia Novikov, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026

Continue reading … MIRACLE ESCAPE – Wild video shows speeding car going airborne, ejects driver into backyard pool. —FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025

Company officials said adapting the system for use with an unmanned surface vehicle builds on more than 30 years of in-fleet experience in airborne mine countermeasures. —Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 31 Dec. 2025

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