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
According to Naval News, the S-300 can carry up to 340 kilograms (750 pounds) of payload and remain airborne for more than 24 hours in surveillance configurations.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Starting in March 2025, UC Davis began driving an electric vehicle with highly specialized air sampling equipment to examine the size and composition of airborne particles in the Eaton and Palisades burn scars.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
For decades, scientists have understood that plants can release volatile organic compounds—essentially airborne chemical signals—to attract the natural enemies of the things that eat them, like caterpillars.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026
The Lindy Hoppers challenged each other to greater and greater feats of virtuosity, flips and slides and airborne moves in which one partner tossed the other high into the air, daring gravity.
—Marina Harss, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for airborne
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Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
Starting in March 2025, UC Davis began driving an electric vehicle with highly specialized air sampling equipment to examine the size and composition of airborne particles in the Eaton and Palisades burn scars.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
For decades, scientists have understood that plants can release volatile organic compounds—essentially airborne chemical signals—to attract the natural enemies of the things that eat them, like caterpillars.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 3 June 2026
The Lindy Hoppers challenged each other to greater and greater feats of virtuosity, flips and slides and airborne moves in which one partner tossed the other high into the air, daring gravity.
—Marina Harss, New Yorker, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for airborne
Cite this Entry
“Airborne.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/airborne. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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