aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈer-ˌkraft 

plural aircraft

often attributive

: a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air

Examples of aircraft in a Sentence

a company that manufactures aircraft

Recent Examples on the Web

Another shows someone climbing into a helicopter, stepping from a roof terrace, onto the landing gear and then into the cockpit, after appearing to take off their t-shirt to wave and attract the aircraft’s attention. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Al-Marimi, now in his mid-70s, faces two counts of destruction of an aircraft resulting in death. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Officials are bringing in aircraft and other state and local resources to fight the fire, the Jack County Rural Fire Department said on Facebook. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026

Search aircraft and ships on Tuesday were scouring the area where the cargo ship MV Ocean Winner reportedly sunk Saturday about 276 miles (444 kilometers) from the Paradip coast of India's eastern Odisha state. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aircraft

• aircraft carrier
• rotary-wing aircraft

Rhymes for aircraft

• abaft
• camshaft
• crankshaft
• downdraft
• engraft
• priestcraft
• redraft
• schoolcraft
• spacecraft
• stagecraft
• statecraft
• updraft

Kids Definition

aircraft

noun

air·​craft ˈa(ə)r-ˌkraft 

ˈe(ə)r-

plural aircraft

: a machine (as an airplane, glider, or helicopter) that can travel through the air and that is supported either by its own buoyancy or by the action of the air against its surfaces