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

Video from his dash camera shows the aircraft gliding under a highway sign, missing it by mere feet, before touching down in the empty lanes. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026

Infrared guides autonomy The tests centered on a sensor package known as the Legion Pod, which tracked a live T-38 aircraft during flight. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

This unusual joint exercise saw the ground-attack aircraft escorting a vital component of the nation's nuclear triad, highlighting the submarine's vulnerability when surfaced. — Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Nauru's decision will prompt the renaming of its national aircraft and ships. — ABC News, 3 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